An Accidental Darcy
by teatat
Summary: While visiting Lambton, with the Gardiners, Elizabeth is mistaken for Miss Darcy and kidnapped along with Mr. Darcy. The two of them must work together to endure an unpleasant situation.
1. Dinner At Pemberley

_A/N: In this story everything happened as in the original up until the point where Lydia runs off with Wickham._

* * *

On the morning of her fourth day in Lambton Elizabeth joined the Gardiners for a walk, promising herself that she would finish writing to Jane upon her return. A Letter from Jane had been waiting for Elizabeth when she arrived in Lambton but Elizabeth had yet to reply. She hopped that the walk might provide inspiration for her letter and settle some of her apprehensions regarding the dinner she and the Gardiners would be attending tonight at Pemberley.

The party returned from their walk to find that Mr. Darcy had visited in their absence. After expressing her surprise Elizabeth escaped to the writing desk but, after setting out the writing things, she found herself staring at Mr. Darcy's calling card which had somehow remained in her possession. She could not deny the excited flutter of her heart when she considered his wanting to see her again so soon yet, she could not be entirely sorry to have missed his visit. She would, after all, be seeing him tonight. With a quick look to see if her aunt and uncle had observed her she slipped the card out of sight telling herself she would dispose of it later. She was not the kind of girl to hold on to a man's calling card is if it were a memento of his affection.

Elizabeth forced her attention back to her letter. Never had she found writing to her dear sister to be so difficult. She had been so preoccupied that she could hardly think what to say of the people she had met in Lambton or her amusements there and what was most on her mind she did not wish to write.

Finally she ended the letter, with an apology for her brevity and a promise to write again soon, and went to dress for dinner. Her aunt had gone to get ready some time ago and she would soon be sending her maid to Elizabeth.

~.~

The Gardiners and Elizabeth arrived at Pemberley and joined the other guests in a large parlor where they were greeted eagerly by Mr. Darcy. In addition to those of Elizabeth's acquaintance the party included seven gentlemen and three Ladies. Mr. Gardiner quickly fell into conversation with the Gentleman he had met the day before while fishing and introduced his wife.

Mr. Darcy addressed himself to Elizabeth, "I hope you had a pleasant day."

"Very pleasant, I thank you. We spent the day walking about with some of my aunt's friends but we were sorry to miss your call. Another time we hope to have more luck."

If Elizabeth did not mistake his expression this was a welcome communication but he only asked where they had walked and, after hearing her description, told her of a shop at the other end of Lambton, she might enjoy visiting, which boasted a fine collection of books. Then, looking up and noticing two of his guests standing apart from the others, he asked if he might introduce her to Mr. and Mrs. Kitteridge. The introductions were made and the four of them exchanged the usual pleasantries until Mr. Darcy noted that Mrs. Gardiner might be tiring of fish tales and excused himself to introduce her to the other ladies.

"Do you not fish Mr. Kitteridge?" asked Elizabeth.

"I like fishing well enough but I have many opportunities to fish. I have been much more interested in exploring the grounds of Pemberley. Yesterday we went riding with Mrs. Millforte and Miss Dixion," he indicated the two ladies who were talking with Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Gardiner, "and we spent much of this morning exploring a narrow walk amidst the rough coppice-wood." He spoke more of his admiration of the place with his wife supplying additional details.

"I am quite jealous," said Elizabeth, "I toured the Gardens the day before yesterday with my Aunt and Uncle but did not have the opportunity to explore that walk."

"I am not sure _I_ would have endeavored to explore it if I had realized how long it is," said Mrs. Kitteridge. "I admit I was very tired by the end. Is it your first time seeing Pemberley Miss Bennet?"

"It is."

"It is ours as well. We were pleased to be invited and very surprised. Until recently we did not think Mr. Darcy liked us."

Mrs. Kitteridge's husband gave her a sharp look and with some embarrassment she added, "But we did not know him very well before and these last few months he almost seemed to go out of his way to change that. Have you known the Darcys long?"

Then this change in him was not something he had adopted on seeing _her_. Elizabeth longed hear more but had no way of asking and said, "I have known Mr. Darcy a little less than a year. Miss Darcy I was introduced to yesterday."

"I would like to know Miss Darcy better but I have not had much opportunity to talk with her."

All three of them glanced over to where Miss Darcy was sitting with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. They were sitting quite close and talking quietly to her in an almost proprietary manner. Mr. Darcy's gaze was also directed toward his sister and with a frown he excused himself from the ladies. As he approached his sister his expression softened. He leaned over to speak with her, she rose, and he brought her to join Elizabeth and the Kitteridges.

"Thank you for coming Miss Bennet." Miss Darcy said quietly not meeting anyone's eye until quickly glancing at her brother who gave her an encouraging smile.

"It is our pleasure. Thank you for inviting us. We were just talking of your beautiful grounds here at Pemberley."

Mr. Kitteridge repeated some of what he had said to Elizabeth in admiration of Pemberley and Mrs. Kitteridge asked, "Do you ride Miss Darcy?"

Miss Darcy answered in the affirmative and Mrs. Kitteridge gave her an encouraging smile. "I hope some time you will join us and show us your favorite haunts. Which parts of Pemberley do you most enjoy?"

Seeing that Miss Darcy looked alarmed to be called on for her opinion Elizabeth said, "I would think it would be impossible to choose."

Miss Darcy gave her a small smile, "Indeed."

The conversation turned to other topics and Elizabeth was well entertained until she noticed that something had caught Mr. Darcy's attention. She followed his gaze and saw that Mr. Bingley's sisters had drawn the other ladies away from Mrs. Gardiner and were whispering in close conspiracy while throwing the occasional pointed look at one or the other of the Gardiners. Mrs. Gardiner was now talking only to Mrs. Annesley and did not seem unhappy with the alteration. Mr. Darcy looked as if he might take some action but just then dinner was announced and for a moment Elizabeth was filled with trepidation. She had suddenly thought of the possibility that Mr. Darcy would offer her his arm and lead _her_ into dinner in spite of the other ladies who must outrank her, but it was a silly notion of course he would not do anything of the sort, nor would she want him to. He would lead his sister… but no he had already turned away from his sister and…Elizabeth almost believed her eyes were deceiving her as Mr. Darcy approached Mrs. Gardiner and offered her his arm. Mrs. Gardiner accepted it with a look of surprise and Mr. Darcy led her into dinner leaving the others to sort themselves out as they would.

Though curious to see Miss Bingley's reaction Elizabeth did not dare to turn her eyes toward that lady for fear of appearing to triumph. Instead, she was glad to accept Mr. Bingley's arm.

Elizabeth was not seated near enough to Mr. Darcy to have any share in his conversation but she was glad to speak more with Mr. Bingley. They had been talking for some time of Hertfordshire when he said, "I had not intended to stay away for so long. It is sometimes the way of things that one invitation leads to another; the neighborhood must have wondered at our sudden departure, I hope they did not take it amiss."

Mrs. Hurst, who was sitting crosswise from Elizabeth had been listening to their conversation with a frown and now leaned forward to say, "Oh, Charles I am sure those we left behind in Hertfordshire are too engaged with their own concerns to ever think of us at all."

"Please do not imagine," Elizabeth answered her, "that we are the sort of people who forget our friends the moment they go away. Let me assure you, Mrs. Hurst, that nothing could be further from the truth. In a small country neighborhood such as ours your absence must be felt. My sister Jane was especially sorry to see you go and, to my certain knowledge, regretted that she did not have the opportunity to spend more time with you and Miss Bingley while she was in London."

Mrs. Hurst quickly struck up a conversation with her neighbor but Mr. Bingley narrowed his eyes as he glanced quickly at each of his sisters before turning back to Elizabeth and asking, "When was your sister in town?"

~.~

As Elizabeth browsed the selection of books in the shop she was visiting the next morning she pondered the events of the previous evening. She had done nothing wrong, she assured herself, by informing Mr. Bingley of Jane's visit to town. She had spoken only the truth. There had been ample time for Mr. Darcy to tell his friend the truth if he had intended to do so. Yet when she remembered the frown on Mr. Darcy's face, as Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst spoke to him in furious whispers during tea, there was still a niggling feeling of guilt that she could not reason away.

"If you are looking for a book about the Bishops' Wars you might find that this one offers a broader perspective."

Elizabeth jumped, "Mr. Darcy!"

"Please forgive me I did not mean to startle you. I thought you noticed my approach."

Elizabeth smiled, "No apology is necessary, Mr. Darcy, I must have been lost in thought."

She took the book he was holding glancing over a few pages. "Thank you for the recommendation. I have recently learned the importance of looking at things from more than one perspective."

"As have I."

Their eyes met and they were momentarily silent while each of them wondered whether the other's words held the same deeper meaning as their own.

Elizabeth broke the silence asking, "Are you here alone this morning Mr. Darcy?"

"My sister and Mrs. Annesley are at the Milliner's across the street. I accompanied them for the purpose of doing some errands of my own and I thought it best to be away from Bingley for a few hours. Last night I confessed my interference in his affairs and that I knew of your sister being in town last winter."

Elizabeth looked surprised and he continued, "I could not let his sisters take the blame alone."

Elizabeth's surprise turned to embarrassment, "I am sorry to have made things awkward for you but I do not believe I was wrong in speaking as I did."

"Nor do I. You spoke only the truth. I ought to have made the confession long ago."

"Was Mr. Bingley very angry?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth lowered her eyes unsure of how to reply. The silence between them was in danger of growing awkward when Mr. Darcy spoke again. "It is not in Bingley's nature to stay angry long, even this morning I saw signs of his relenting."

"I am glad."

"I believe he will be returning to Netherfield very soon. He may even leave today."

"I am sure everyone will be pleased to see him."

"I hope there are not those in the neighborhood who resent his long absence."

"I do not believe there is and, if his leaving _did_ cause any misunderstanding, his returning will easily set all to right."

"Once Bingley forgives me I would like to visit him at Netherfield. I would like travel there together but I am sure he is no humor to wait until my obligations here are discharged."

Elizabeth smiled, "You do not believe he would yield to the persuasion of a friend?"

Mr. Darcy returned her smile. "In this case I do not think his conviction can be shaken and I am proud of him for standing firm. But I notice you have not said how the neighborhood is likely to receive my visit. I know I did not make a good impression there but I hope I might have a chance to make amends."

"I would not like to think we are the sort of neighborhood to hold a grudge especially when our own conduct, if strictly examined, is not irreproachable."

They talked a few minutes more, Elizabeth made her purchases, and Mr. Darcy asked if he and his sister might have the honor of giving her a ride back to her lodgings. It was an honor she was happy to bestow and he led her toward his carriage.

As they approached the carriage Mr. Darcy frowned, "What can have happened to John?" and following his gaze Elizabeth noticed that the coachman's seat was empty and the horses had been hitched to a post. "I asked him to…"

Mr. Darcy's words were cut off as a large man stepped up behind him and bludgeoned him in the back of the head. At the same time a second man seized Elizabeth and held one hand firmly over her mouth, she felt a pistol pressed into her side as he hissed into her ear, "Now then Miss Darcy, come along quietly, no screaming or your brother will get worse. Do you understand?"

Elizabeth nodded. When he took his hand away she whispered, "I am not…" then her wits caught up to what was happening and she forced herself not to glance across the street where the real Miss Darcy might emerge from the Milliner's shop at any moment. "…not going to make any trouble."

"Good girl."

Two men were already tossing Mr. Darcy unceremoniously into his carriage. The one holding the pistol pushed Elizabeth in roughly behind him and sat down across from her still pointing the pistol toward her. "This is just to keep things nice and friendly, Miss Darcy. No reason for anyone to get hurt."

The other two men entered, yanked Mr. Darcy's arms behind him, and lashed his wrists together with a short chain which they secured with a padlock. Then they went out and Elizabeth heard them unhitching the horses and climbing into the driver's seat.

As the carriage pulled away Elizabeth risked a quick glance behind and saw Mrs. Annesley emerging from the Milliner's shop just before they turned a corner and the shop was out of sight. It was only after her initial relief at the success of her subterfuge passed that Elizabeth began to question the wisdom of her actions.

* * *

 _A/N: I've read a number of fanfics where Lizzy gets kidnapped so I thought it would be fun to explore having the two of them get kidnapped together and see how they deal with it. In a way I didn't really need most of this chapter other than for the sake of picking up at the point where things change but it was kind of fun to see Darcy hosting a large group. His leading Mrs. Gardiner into dinner was probably a bit unrealistic but I couldn't resist it for the sake of putting Miss Bingley in her place. I'm just writing this for fun so I may take a few liberties here and there. :) Chapter 2 will be posted momentarily._

 _Thanks for reading – I hope you enjoy!_


	2. More than Common Awkwardness

Darcy awoke with a splitting headache that felt as if it encompassed his entire body. He was lying on something hard and his arms were pulled behind him in a painful position. Someone was gently dabbing his face with a damp cloth. He groaned.

"Mr. Darcy?"

He slowly opened his eyes. Even the dim light was painful and he squinted to make out the figure kneeling beside him. "Miss Bennet?"

"Mr. Darcy, thank God you are awake. I feared…" her voice cracked and she did not continue.

Darcy struggled to sit up. Miss Bennet tried to prevent him but when he insisted he was well enough she leant him her support. He had been lying on a wooden bench set into the wall. He tried to move his arms.

"I am afraid your wrists are bound, Mr. Darcy."

"Where are we?"

"I do not know. I think it may be an old army barracks but I did not get much of a look at the place. We are in some kind of cell. I think the door must be barred on the other side it will not budge."

Darcy was quiet while he absorbed the information but could not make sense of what she was saying. His eyes were adjusting and he saw that they were in a very small room with one little window too high to be reached. There was a hole in the opposite corner the purpose of which was evident from the smell. "How did we get here?"

"I hardly know. We were walking toward your carriage when we were set upon by three men. One hit you in the head and they put us in your carriage and brought us here."

"Did they hurt you?" He noticed Miss Bennet wince at his tone and he felt a shooting pain in his head. He had not meant to speak so harshly.

"No. I am well."

Darcy was silent again. If only his headache did not make it so difficult to understand.

"But how did you come to be here? You could not have come willingly."

"One of them had a pistol."

He tensed making his head hurt more but he forced himself to speak gently. "Are you sure they did not hurt you?"

"Yes, I am sure. I cooperated in order to prevent it. Mr. Darcy, there is some water here would you like some?"

He tried again to move his arms, "Can you release my hands?"

"I am sorry. I cannot. It would require a key."

"Then no, I thank you but I will not have any water."

"That is foolish you need to drink." Miss Bennet held the water to his lips and he made no attempt at further argument.

After a few swallows he insisted on her drinking some as well and they finished the water between them. When that was done he did feel a little better and asked, "Did these men who took us give you any idea of their purpose?"

"No. I tried to ask what they wanted but they were not inclined toward conversation."

"They are probably holding us for ransom." Darcy glanced around the cell again. His confusion was giving way to anger. "That they should retain me is bad enough but to subject a lady to such conditions is appalling behavior and to lock you in here alone with a man who is no relation is atrocious!"

"They think I am your sister."

Whatever more he would have said in defamation of their captors' characters was forgotten in his astonishment, "Why would they think so?"

"I was with you. They must have assumed it was the case."

"Could you not have sparred yourself by correcting the error?"

Miss Bennet averted her eyes as if embarrassed. "Perhaps I could have but I was afraid the information would endanger Miss Darcy."

For a moment Darcy was too affected to speak. "You…" his voice broke and he had to clear his throat before continuing. "You refrained from correcting them in order to protect my sister. I do not know what to say. I am profoundly grateful. More grateful than I can hope to express."

"You give me too much credit, Sir. I acted without thinking."

"That only makes your actions more commendable. But, surely my sister is safe by now. As soon as someone comes we can tell them the truth."

Her eyes flew open in alarm. "Mr. Darcy we cannot tell them _now_! If they are looking for ransom it would only be admitting that I have no value and they are hardly likely to simply let me go!"

"You are mistaken, Miss Bennet, your value is beyond compare."

The look on her face was impossible to discern and Darcy was afraid he had spoken too openly. He quickly added, "However, you are probably correct that it would be unwise to disabuse them. We will allow them to believe you are my sister."

"Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

They were quiet for some time. Suddenly Miss Bennet broke the tension that had been building between them by pulling a pin from her skirt and saying, "Perhaps I can use this to open the lock."

He glanced at the door before realizing she meant to free his hands. He turned sideways to give her better access and said with a smile, "Do you have a talent for picking locks Miss Bennet?"

"Not that I know of but one must always make the effort to improve one's self."

"If you achieve proficiency I will be forced to admit that the picking of locks is an accomplishment far superior, in a Lady, to any other. It is the only one I could wish you to possess."

One small ray of sunshine was coming through the window. As Miss Bennet worked it slowly made its way across the floor. When it started up the wall Darcy said, "Miss Bennet, I am afraid we are achieving little more than breaking your pins," for she had broken several, "they are simply not strong enough."

"I may as well keep trying until my skirt has been entirely let down. My petticoat must be very dusty so there is no reason to show it off and without my needle work I must find _some_ means of employment."

Darcy thought the lightness of her tone sounded forced but he was glad she sought to support her spirits. He answered in like manner. "Perhaps I should take this opportunity to engage in the sport of trying to kick down the door."

He had turned to face her as he said it and was rewarded by a small smile. "Do you feel well enough for such activity? How is your head?"

"Sore but better than when I first awoke. The exercise will do me good."

Darcy proved to be no more capable of kicking down the door than Miss Bennet had been of picking the lock. Nor did throwing his shoulder into it, shouting for attention and, in a moment of frustration demanding of the door that it open, meet with better success. His efforts intensified his headache and, when Miss Bennet expressed her concern for his welfare, he was forced to admit defeat and return to his seat.

Instead of trying again to pick the lock Miss Bennet stood before him, removed her gloves, and placed her cool finger tips on his temples, rubbing gently. "Does this help?"

"Yes. I thank you." He spoke softly as if he might scare her off. He could hardly believe she would touch him so intimately and had to remind himself to breath.

"Jane does this when I have a headache."

"My mother used to do the same. I did not remember it until now."

How much time passed as she continued her ministration Darcy did not know. It could have been hours or only moments that had gone by when a slot was opened at the bottom of the door. Bread and water were pushed through. Darcy tried to speak to the person on the other side of the door, to get answers or at least better accommodations for his "sister" but the slot was closed with no acknowledgement.

This time Miss Bennet simply lifted the water to his lips, and placed a piece of bread in his mouth without giving him the option of refusing. The bread was stale, tasteless and stuck to the room of his mouth but he was hungry enough to be grateful for it and her feeding it to him rendered it more appetizing. After a few a bites he realized she was giving him bigger pieces.

"Miss Bennet, I beg you to eat as much yourself as you feed me."

"You are larger than I am."

"That hardly justifies a greater assault on my palate."

She laughed softly at this and took a larger piece but he noticed her next bite was a little smaller and she gradually decreased the size of her own portions. It was in his mind to object but then he considered it might be cruel to deprive her of doing what she meant to be a kindness and kept his silence.

When they had eaten half the bread she asked, "Do you think we should save the rest? We do know when they might feed us again."

"It hardly seems worth saving but if you are not too hungry I think we should. There is a handkerchief in my coat pocket if you would like to wrap it in that." He knew she had used her own handkerchief on his face earlier and it would not be dry.

"That is a good idea, I will get it."

The handkerchief was in the inner pocket of his tail-coat. She began undoing the coat in order to gain access to his pocket then stopped. The deepest blush spreading over her face she said, "That is, if you will forgive me the liberty of retrieving it?"

"There is nothing to forgive. You may take whatever liberties you wish with me, Miss Bennet. I place myself entirely in your hands."

She averted her gaze and he wondered if he had spoken too freely. He had felt an intimacy between them as she fed him and her modesty combined with her willingness to do what was needed was so charming as to disarm his usual reserve. Miss Bennet put on her gloves, which she had left off in order to feed them, and fished out his handkerchief with no further comment. Once the bread was wrapped she made a few more attempts at the padlock but the light had changed and there was no place that she could work on it that was not in shadow. After that they simply sat next to each other in companionable silence. Time passed and the silence seemed to deepen between them and there was almost a sacredness in it that, under different circumstances, Darcy would have found pleasing. He did not know many people who could truly be still.

As more time passed and he regretted drinking the water. It had not been much but they had been in here a long time. Miss Bennet shifted wincing briefly, as if she were in pain and said, "Mr. Darcy, as it does not appear we are to be given any privacy I am forced to ask you to turn your back."

"Of course." He stood in order to comply and noticing her acute embarrassment added. "The lack of privacy must be an attempt to intimidate us but I know your courage always rises on such occasions."

Before he turned away he saw her smile and lift her chin with a look of defiance.

~.~

"Thank you Mr. Darcy. You may turn around now. Elizabeth returned to her seat on the bench wondering if he were also suffering from the lack of privacy. She felt her face warm at the thought of asking him but, though he did not complain she knew the way his arms were chained must be causing him pain and there was also the blow he had taken to the head, she did not want him to have any additional discomfort if it could be avoided and she knew he would not mention it himself.

She took a breath strengthening her resolve and said, "Mr. Darcy, my mother takes great pride in having raised us to be completely useless in domestic matters but during my visits with the Gardiners I often helped to care for my young cousins and performed tasks some might consider the purview of the nursery maid."

"I see."

From the tone of his voice she guessed he was wondering why she was telling him this. She would need to be more clear, "If you need to… if you need assistance with anything of a personal nature I… I can help you."

"That is very kind but, your experience with children notwithstanding, I could not ask you to do that."

"Then it is just as well I have already offered."

"I thank you but I have been too many years out of the nursery to accept."

He had not said he did not _need_ her help and —though she tried not to notice— from the way he was sitting she rather thought he did, but it would be indelicate to press him further.

After a short silence Mr. Darcy said, "I take it some of your young cousins are boys."

"They are."

"But they must have been babies or very young when you cared for them. They were not yet breeched?

"They were very young, not breeched."

"Then you would have had no experience with," he glanced down at his lap, "a fall front."

She followed his gaze, "It does not look overly complicated."

He nodded and was again silent for a few moments before saying, "It would not just be a matter of undoing me. I need to…aim."

"I believe I can manage. I will leave my gloves on of course."

He made no reply and after a brief pause Elizabeth spoke again, "It will be dark soon. If you are at all inclined to accept my assistance it might be wise to do so while I can still see. I would not want to …make a mistake."

"You make a compelling case. If you are sure it will not be too disagreeable for you then I will gratefully accept your offer."

"I am sure." This was not, strictly speaking, true. She found it an awkward business, and yet, there was something about his being so vulnerable, so completely dependent on her, that created in her feelings of amazing tenderness toward him. Wishing to spare him what embarrassment she could she did her best to act as if she were not bothered.

~.~

Miss Bennet's touch was gentle but Darcy could not repress a shiver. After holding him in the appropriate position for a short time she said, "Try to forget I am here."

"Under the circumstances I believe that to be impossible." But his amusement at the idea allowed him to relax and all was soon set right. She put him back together, he thanked her, and they returned to the bench in silence.

As the last of the light faded away Darcy's embarrassment lessened as he contemplated her extraordinary kindness in rendering him a service she must have found distasteful. He remembered her coming to nurse her sister at Netherfield and how his own mother had nursed him when he was ill as a child, refusing to leave him to the care of a servant when he was unwell. He could easily imagine Miss Bennet as a mother, caring for his children with a mixture of humor and good sense… He forced the image from his mind. It was useless to wish for such things unless he could change her feelings toward him and there was little chance of _that_ until they could be free of the current situation. Here he was nothing but a burden to her.

The day had been warm, and Miss Bennet was dressed accordingly but the cell was damp and it had been growing colder. Even without being able to see Darcy was aware that she was shivering.

"You are cold. I would gladly give you my coat if you could find some way of removing it."

"I thank you for the thought but I do not think I could remove it."

Of course not. It had be a foolish thing to say it only exhibited his inadequacy. He knew what he had to do. "Miss Bennet, I do not mean any disrespect in what I am about to suggest but if you would like, that is if you would not find it too unpleasant to put your arms around me, you could perhaps put them inside my coat. Please understand I only suggest it because I can think of no other way to keep you warm."

"You would not mind?"

"Not at all, it is the least I can do."

She hesitated briefly but then took his suggestion. He moved as far back on the bench as he could, leaning against the wall to give her room, and it did not take her long to find as comfortable a position as possible. At first she held him very stiffly but with the passage of time she seemed to become more at ease and relaxed against him.

More time passed and Darcy thought she had fallen asleep when she said timidly, "Mr. Darcy?"

"Yes?"

"I must confess my courage is not as great as I would wish it to be. To be honest I am very frightened."

Never in the course of the day had Darcy resented his restraints as much as he did in this moment, for he would have given anything to put his arms around her but he could only nuzzle his cheek against the top of her head and say, "You have been very brave Elizabeth, braver than anyone could ask, but all will be well. I am sure all will be well. Even now my family may be arranging for our ransom."

"With your sister safe they may think any ransom demand a trick."

"With me missing they would not take the risk and I am sure they will talk with the Gardiners and piece together what happened."

"Even if they do they will have no reason to ransom me."

She could be right. His family could not know her importance to him, unless his cousin had guessed it. Colonel Fitzwilliam was not stationed far from Pemberley. Surely Georgiana would send word to him immediately.

"Miss Bennet, you cannot possibly think so ill of me as to imagine I would leave you here. If only I am ransomed I will insist these men let you go and you can explain the situation to my family."

She was quiet a moment before asking, "And if your family does not believe me?"

"You will have to convince them. You can tell them… that as a boy I had a toy pony named Othello… and that I use to sneak into the nursery when Georgiana was a baby and recite Latin to her or sing her a lullaby."

"What did you sing?"

"Whatever came to mind."

"I think if I am to be believed I must know what you sang." Her tone held less fear and more of her usual liveliness.

"You understand I was twelve years old and it was only intended to be heard by a baby."

"I will make allowances."

"Very well." He felt extremely silly but exposing himself to ridicule was a small price to pay if it would please her. He sang, "Go to sleep my little darling, like a little baby starling, while you are sleeping, I will be keeping, a watch over my baby si-is-ter."

"That is sweet. But the tune seems rather lively for a lullaby."

"She made no objection."

Miss Bennet laughed softly and he it made him feel warm inside to have cheered her.

After a short silence she said, "Even knowing the lullaby I think it would be more sensible for you to go. You have more resources and could better work for my release than I for yours."

"That may be quite rational but I could not bear to leave you here so there is no use our speaking of it."

He had spoken more harshly than he'd meant to but she showed no sign of offence and only said softly, "Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

It was not until Miss Bennet had drifted off to sleep that Darcy realized he had called her "Elizabeth". The name had fallen so naturally from his lips but he did not want to give her the idea that he thought any less of her for the intimacies she had honored him with in this place. If anything he respected her all the more. He almost imagined he could still feel her cool fingers on his temples, the accidental brush of her hand as she worked the buttons on his pantaloons, the thin fabric of her glove as she held…

If he kept thinking like this he was going to be in a great deal of trouble! Darcy forced his mind away from Miss Bennet and imagined instead what he would do to the men who were holding them once he got free. He had no doubt his family would pay whatever had been asked and once he was free he would find these men and ruin them. How long would it take to Ransom them? Colonel Fitzwilliam would have access to some of the resources kept at Pemberley, Lady Anne's jewels and such, but would he put those to such a use or contact his father? Would the Earl travel to Pemberley? Even if an express was sent today it could not be expected that he would arrive before mid-day tomorrow. It would probably be later. Unless the Colonel acted on his own they would be here for most of the day tomorrow, possibly longer. What kind of people were these men? These were intolerable conditions for a lady even if she had been his sister. In some ways it would be worse at least with Miss Bennet… no, he could not think that way, he could not allow himself to hope that a day would come when it would be natural for them to share the intimate touches of a husband and wife. To improve her opinion of him, to show her that her reproofs had been attended to must be all he could aspire to.

Miss Bennet snuggled against him in her sleep and once again Darcy caught his mind drifting in a dangerous direction. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 _A/N: The info I found about treatment of head injuries at this time didn't say anything about keeping the person awake so I'm assuming Lizzy wouldn't think she needs to keep Darcy awake (she does anyway but that's unintentional). In a way I find it ironic to write JAF and include things Austen would never write about but I hope the way they are responding to the situation is in keeping with her characters. I like that they are each putting the others comfort ahead of their own embarrassment/discomfort. I make no promises about how quickly I will update – it all depends on how much time I have, but I do have a rough outline in my head for where things are going._

 _Thanks for reading!_


	3. An Unpleasant Awakening

By the time Darcy nodded off the patch of sky, visible through the small window, was growing bright. Thoughts of Miss Bennet caught up to him in his dreams, where his hands were suddenly free and he ran his fingers gently down her face before embracing her and kissing her passionately, pressing up against her…

"Mr. Darcy." She was shaking his shoulder.

"Elizabeth," he murmured, "yes…"

"Mr. Darcy!"

Darcy opened his eyes. It took him a moment to remember where he was.

"Mr. Darcy, you were moaning in your sleep and you seemed restless. Is something wrong? Are you in pain?"

"No I… I am well. I was..." Her hand was still on his shoulder inside his coat and she was sitting so close. He did not want her to see his reaction.

"Excuse me Miss Bennet." He stood quickly and faced the wall. "I am well. I only need to stand here for a time."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, not…" _Not unless you are willing to marry me_. "No. I thank you."

"Are you sure?" Even the sound of her voice was increasing his desire but he did not see a way to ask her to stop talking without offending her.

"Please, there is no reason for concern. I only…"

The door to the cell opened. Darcy was temporarily blinded by the light it let in but a voice spoke that he would know anywhere and it hit him like cold water, his desire shriveled away.

"You fools! That is not Miss Darcy!"

Darcy turned, "Mr. Wickham!…"

"Stay back Darcy!" His eyes were adjusting and he could see that Mr. Wickham was holding a pistol.

Darcy would have threatened him, in spite of the pistol, but Miss Bennet gave him a sharp look and gave her head a small shake before turning to Mr. Wickham herself and saying, "Mr. Wickham! How could you lock me in all this time with Mr. Darcy? You know how I detest him!"

Mr. Wickham raised an eyebrow, "I thought he improved upon further acquaintance."

"Yes, enough to be in company with for a few hours without repulsion, but to be locked away with him as my only companion for so long was very disagreeable!"

Mr. Wickham smiled and made Miss Bennet a low bow, "I do apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Bennet. It seems my associates snatched the wrong lady." He cast a malicious look at the three men who were standing a short way behind him.

"We was told we'd find Mr. Darcy in town with his sister. She never said she weren't Miss Darcy." One of the men said sullenly.

Mr. Wickham rolled his eyes, "Well, if she never _said_ , that explains everything. Did not my partner point the Darcys out to you?"

"We only saw 'em briefly from a distance. Him we had a miniature of but _her_ we didn't see so well," said another of the men.

"And they wear those d— bonnets!" added the third, "They are about the same size and these two were getting into the Darcy carriage."

The man who had spoken first looked at Miss Bennet accusingly. "She _could_ have said." His tone was even more sullen than it had been the first time.

Miss Bennet moved closer to Mr. Wickham lightly touching his arm and looking at him in a way that made Darcy feel ill, "One of them had a pistol. I was too afraid to speak." She actually batted her eyelashes! How could he have been so wrong about her?

"Once again, I apologize for my associates, but we will have to decide what to do about you."

"Could you not let me go? I better than anyone understand how dreadfully Mr. Darcy has treated you. I will not interfere in whatever you have planned for him. May I ask; what _do_ you have planned for him?"

"Nothing very horrible, we are only keeping him here until his ransom is paid then he will be free to go. But I am afraid you must be our guest until that time, Miss Bennet. Please understand, it is not that I do not trust you…I will do everything in my power to make you comfortable while you are here. We can certainly provide you with better accommodations than these."

She smiled up at him with another flutter of her lashes. "Thank you Mr. Wickham. You will not find me ungrateful."

"Well then, allow me to show you to your room." He started to back out of the cell. His pistol still trained on Darcy.

"But Mr. Wickham, surely you are going to unchain Mr. Darcy's hands?"

"Why would I?"

"It seems unusually cruel, even toward him, to leave him so _completely_ helpless; he cannot feed himself or… anything like that. I do not speak out of a particular concern for Mr. Darcy but out of basic human decency."

When Mr. Wickham made no immediate reply she added, "You are a better man than he is, I know _you_ will show mercy where _he_ has not."

"Very well, I am not willing to risk having his hands free but I will chain them in front of him so that he may feed himself and _things_."

"Mr. Wickham took a key from the pocket of his overcoat and nodded to one of his men who took it, unchained Darcy's wrists, chained them back up in front of him and returned the key. For a moment Darcy thought he saw a look of concern on Miss Bennet's face at the state of his wrists but it was gone so quickly he thought he must have imagined it. Mr. Wickham kept the pistol trained on him the whole time but Darcy would not have tried to fight. In addition to his unwillingness to risk any harm that might come to Miss Bennet if he struggled, he had no spirit to make the effort. His imprisonment was nothing compared to the knowledge that Miss Bennet still disliked him as much as she ever had.

~.~

Mr. Wickham offered Elizabeth his arm, "I think, Miss Bennet, you will be most comfortable in _my_ room." He paused just long enough to alarm her before continuing, "If you will only give me a short time to remove my things?"

She took his arm trying to hide her relief, "You are very kind, Sir, but may I walk about a little first? After being imprisoned so long I am greatly in need to fresh air and exercise." She wondered if batting her eyelashes at him again would be overdoing it but Mr. Wickham did not seem the sort of man on whom one could use too much flattery. She gave his arm a slight squeeze as she worked her lashes.

"Of course you may walk around. I will join you."

She had expected him to, of course, but one could always hope. After walking a short time Mr. Wickham said, "We must not stay out too long. You have no protection from the sun."

Elizabeth touched her head realizing she had forgotten all about her bonnet, "I must have left my hat in the cell. Perhaps you would be kind enough to find it for me next time you check on Mr. Darcy."

"I will not be checking again on Darcy. I only did so today because I got word that Miss Darcy was at Pemberley even though my men insisted she was safely locked away. It is _so_ difficult to find good help these days but at least we have Darcy."

He really would have left Mr. Darcy helpless indefinitely! Even if, as Elizabeth suspected, Mr. Wickham had convinced himself of his own lies, it was beyond cruel. She also remembered the way Mr. Wickham was holding the pistol and reflected that he must be afraid of Mr. Darcy to have him under his power and still feel the need to take so many precautions. She experienced a swell of pride at the thought.

As they walked she studied Mr. Wickham's profile wondering how she had ever thought him handsome. He caught her eye and she forced herself to smile saying, "I hope my not being Miss Darcy does not cause you too much trouble."

"I do not think it will. We sent Mr. Darcy's carriage back to Pemberley along with our demand for ransom and so gave everyone good reason to believe we have him even with Miss Darcy safe". This was welcome news. She had left her parasol and reticule in the carriage and hoped these might provide a clue as to what had happened. Mr. Wickham continued, "I believe Mr. Darcy's uncle is on his way to Pemberley to arrange things. It would be better if his cousin had taken care of it but that is not worth thinking about. In truth I never thought it necessary to include Miss Darcy in our scheme. That was my partner's idea. "

"I did think it very unlike _you_ to wish to include Miss Darcy. You are far too gallant. How clever of you to send the carriage but, will it not be needed to make your escape once the ransom has been collected? I imagine you will want to flee the country."

"I thank you for the kindness of your concern but rest assured I have a plan. Perhaps you would like to accompany me. We could go to Gretna Green."

"A most tempting offer, I thank you, but I would miss my family. Will you give me time to consider?"

"As long as you do not take too long, once the money arrives I will be off."

"Thank you I…" As she spoke Elizabeth took a step slightly ahead of him and lost her footing. She fell against him and grabbed at his overcoat to keep from hitting the ground, it took her a few tries to set herself right."

"Oh, please forgive me Mr. Wickham."

"There is nothing to forgive. I am afraid all this has been too much for you. I will take you to my…your room."

She would have liked to walk more but thought it would be safer to comply and turned back.

"You may be overcome again. I will carry you."

"That is not necessary. I only tripped."

"I must insist."

Elizabeth submitted to being carried with no little amount of trepidation. Had she taken her flattery of Mr. Wickham too far and put herself in danger? It had not escaped her notice that his invitation to Gretna Green he did not specifically mention an offer of marriage. Would the possibility of her going with him be enough that he would maintain the semblance of being a gentleman? She suddenly felt very vulnerable.

When they reached the room she said, "It is very chivalrous of you to give me your room Mr. Wickham. I am glad to have a chance to rest and be alone, and while I do I will consider your offer."

Whatever he might have had in mind this seemed to satisfy him for he gathered his things in order to vacate the room saying only, "I hope you understand that I will need to lock you in. It is for your own safety."

"Yes of course." She was careful not to glance at the window.

"I will leave you to your rest." He gestured to a table, where there was bread and cheese along with some wine and water. "Please help yourself to any refreshment. It is not much but for now it is the best I can offer. Once I have my money we will dine somewhere more worthy."

Elizabeth tried to sound grateful in her thanks and he went away at last. When she heard the key turn in the lock Elizabeth released the shudder she had been repressing. She had been in momentary dread that he kept the key in the same pocket as the key she had stolen from him, or that she might have taken the _wrong_ key, but he had picked up a key from the dresser to lock her door and he did not seem to notice the absence of the other. With relief Elizabeth took the key to Mr. Darcy's padlock out of her glove and pinned it up inside her petticoat. Then she moved quietly to the widow and undid the shutter. The widow would open easily and she was not far from the ground.

Now she had only to wait until nightfall and hope that her luck would continue. She pulled a chair from a corner of the room and wedged it against the door. She did not think it would hold long but at least it would give her some warning if someone tried to enter.

The room was not much, under normal circumstances she would have barely regarded it as tolerable, but at the moment it seemed absolutely luxurious by virtue of its having a bed and a clean chamber pot. She lay down thinking of Mr. Darcy alone in the cell. She had tried to give him a signal to let him know she had a plan but from the look on his face she was convinced he had not picked up on it and she could not risk more for fear of Mr. Wickham noticing. Asking Mr. Wickham to remove the restraints had been risky enough but she could not bear to leave Mr. Darcy so entirely helpless. Even now she worried about the blow he had taken to the head, he should have seen a doctor for that immediately, but she knew there was no hope of Wickham getting him one. Additionally, she was sure Mr. Darcy had been in some kind of discomfort when he woke up. Vexing man! Why did he not tell her what was wrong instead of standing with his back to her?

Elizabeth knew she should rest in preparation for the evening but she was too agitated and the look she had last seen on Mr. Darcy's face continued to haunt her. He almost certainly thought she still believed Mr. Wickham. How he must detest her for it, how poorly he must think of her judgment, how foolish she must seem to him. It was useless to tell herself not to dwell on such thoughts. She could only hope that her plan would work and that she could get back to Mr. Darcy and clear up the matter as quickly as possible.

As she glanced again at the scant protection offered by the chair Elizabeth felt herself to have been very unwise in taking matters into her own hands. She thought it too much to hope for that Mr. Wickham would not return and fervently wished herself back in the cell with Mr. Darcy.

* * *

 _A/N: I'd forgotten what a high it is to post a story here and have people respond to it. Thank you to all who read, followed, favorite and especially thanks to those who reviewed! It's really encouraging to get such a response!_

 _It may seem as if I'm writing this for the sole purpose of torturing Darcy but I'm not. ;o)I know it's not as much fun when they are separated but it was necessary for the story. More moments coming soon!_


	4. Action and Socailization

Darcy stood staring at the door long after Mr. Wickham had closed it. Miss Bennet still disliked him as much as ever! His attempts to improve himself had not impressed her! She had given no credence to his letter! She still believed Mr. Wickham! Foolish, headstrong girl! How could she think Mr. Wickham a man to be trusted? Did she not realize the danger she had put herself in? Alone with Mr. Wickham…he might…she was not safe! Such a rage arose in Darcy as he had never experienced before. He threw himself at the door sure that this time it would splinter beneath his wrath but the door held firm. He continued his attempts until he had exhausted himself.

His anger burned away leaving nothing but numbness and confusion. He ate a little of the bread but it was hard to swallow and did not sit well on his stomach. It was just as well not to eat too much. Even now that he could tend to his own needs he would prefer to keep them to a minimum. Thinking of the limited use he now had of his hands brought Miss Bennet to mind again. At least she had done this much for him. "Basic human decency" she had called it. But what of the other assistance she had given him? Was that nothing more than human decency? How could she bear to touch a man she detested so intimately? Vexing woman! What did she do when she disliked a man so that he could tell? Yes, he had been wrong at Rosings to think she would accept him but surely her behavior since meeting him at Pemberley had been encouraging? She had accepted the introduction to his sister, come to dinner, spoken with regret of missing his visit. Was there something in her words or manner he had missed? Some hint of her true feelings he had overlooked? He did not understand her at all!

Finally, weary in mind and body, he lay down on the bench and fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

~.~

"Mr. Darcy." Someone was shaking him gently but he did not want to wake up.

"Mr. Darcy!" This time he whisper in his ear was more urgent. "It is me. Please, wake up."

He opened his eyes. Miss Bennet was standing over him, she held her fingers to his lips. After a moment he moved them away, "Miss Bennet what are you doing here?"

"I am rescuing you."

"But you… you said you despised me."

"Give me your hands and prepare for something very dreadful."

He sat up and complied while asking, "What is it?"

"I lied." She held up a key, unlocked him and undid his chains while he stared at her dumfounded.

Looking up and seeing his expression Miss Bennet added, "To Mr. Wickham, I lied to him so I could get away and let you out."

Darcy's wits were still struggling to catch up but his arms were free and seemed to move on their own. Almost without his knowing how it happened he had them around Miss Bennet and he was kissing her.

"How touching!"

Wickham! Darcy was on his feet in an instant standing protectively in front of Miss Bennet.

Wickham was, again, holding a pistol. He shook his head dramatically, "I did so want to believe you Miss Bennet but, permit me to say, you are a most unconvincing flirt when your affections are engaged elsewhere."

He glanced at Darcy's clenched fists and held his pistol a little higher, "No heroics, Darcy, you never know, I might hit _her_ by mistake."

He addressed himself again to Miss Bennet, "I confess I am disappointed you think so little of me, as to believe I did not know you could open that window. Even so I was tempted to let you get away in appreciation of your _efforts_ , perhaps I would have, if you had tried to run off on your own, but I cannot have you releasing Darcy. I will have those chains back on him now. If you would do the honors, Miss Bennet?"

When she did not move he stepped forward holding the pistol to Darcy's head. "The chains Miss Bennet." The tone of false obsequiousness had vanished.

Miss Bennet picked up the chain and Darcy held his hands out in front of him.

Mr. Wickham smiled maliciously, "I think not. On further consideration I would rather have your arms behind you Darcy. You will just have to hope your family comes through with the money before you get too hungry or embarrass yourself."

Darcy changed the position of his hands, keeping his face carefully expressionless; he would not give Mr. Wickham the satisfaction of a reaction. Nor did he want Mr. Wickham to contemplate the unlikelihood of his having gone so long without embarrassing himself initially. Miss Bennet moved behind him without a word. He had put his hands to his back palms out but Miss Bennet adjusted them slightly so that one hand was in front of the other as she wrapped the chain she placed a small amount of slack in the hidden hand and wrapped his fingers around it. Although he was sure this could not possibly work, Darcy kept his expression carefully neutral as Miss Bennet did up the lock and stepped away.

Mr. Wickham took a step backward, "Turn around Darcy."

He complied. It was not going to work. Mr. Wickham would see what she had done and be angry at her! Last night had been overcast but tonight it was not so dark. The moon was almost full and it was shining through the window. By turning his back to Mr. Wickham his hands would be in shadow. Did he dare to hope? Mr. Wickham tugged on the lock and gave the chain a few hard yanks. Darcy held tightly to the bit of slack forcing himself to breath. Mr. Wickham backed out of the cell and closed the door.

~.~

As soon as Mr. Wickham closed the door Elizabeth moved quietly to put her ear against it in the hopes of hearing him walk away. She thought she heard the door close to one of the other buildings and said softly to Mr. Darcy, "I think he is gone. Let me see your hands."

"I did not think that would work." He whispered.

"It may not have. I _hope_ I gave you enough slack but I could not risk more."

After a brief examination she continued, "I think I can get these off but I am afraid of hurting you."

"Please, do whatever you need to. I do not mind the pain."

It took considerable effort but Elizabeth did manage to pull off the chains, cringing as they scrapped the skin on his hands. She should have put his gloves back on him first. He must have removed them while he was alone.

Once Mr. Darcy was free Elizabeth stood contemplating the small window.

"Miss Bennet, I apologize for the ungentlemanly manner of my greeting earlier."

She answered in a tone of distraction, "I was not offended. It is hard to maintain such standards here."

He might have spoken again but she said, "Mr. Darcy, do you think you could lift me to that window?"

"To what end?"

"There is a tree on the other side."

"And how is that relevant?"

Why was he being so dense? "If can fit through the window, and I think I can, I can climb down the tree and let you out."

"That is much too dangerous." He was still speaking softly but his tone was sharp. A whispered argument followed.

"It is not dangerous. I climbed trees often as child."

"As a _child_ you were lighter and you would have started from the ground! In addition to this you must be out of practice."

"It has not been so long since I last climbed a tree and I always had to get down again once I was up. I have climbed down higher trees."

"Then I must think your governess was very remiss. But I will not be so negligent as to allow you to put yourself in danger."

Elizabeth did not bother to correct his assumption that she had, had a governess " _ **Allow**_ me! I did not ask your _permission_ Mr. Darcy!"

"Nor it would seem have you consulted your own good sense! You have taken every opportunity to put yourself in jeopardy! It was bad enough you risked trying to fool Mr. Wickham but you made it worse by showing concern for my comfort and then trying to release me."

"Would you rather I had left you helpless?"

"YES! If I had been given a choice I would gladly have chosen your safety over my own comfort!"

"Well! At least now I know what you want instead of guessing at your needs!"

"What I want _,_ what I _need,_ is for you to remain unharmed!"

"Has it occurred to you that I may be less likely to come to harm climbing a tree than I am at the mercy of Mr. Wickham?"

Darcy's face turned instantly white. He grasped her shoulders. His voice was soft but fierce, "What has he done?"

"Nothing, I did not mean it that way!" Elizabeth's anger vanished in her concern for him, "I was speaking only of possibilities. Truly I did mean anything had happened!"

Mr. Darcy sat down heavily on the bench catching his breath, "If he hurts you. If he even touches you. I will kill him."

She could have pointed out that this would hardly improve her situation but instead she went to him and lightly touched his cheek, "Fitzwilliam I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you." His expression softened at her use of his Christian name. She sat down next to him, "I do not want to argue."

"Neither do I. I am sorry for losing my temper. I know it is no excuse but I am use to being able to protect the people I…it is frustrating to be so powerless, so entirely useless. I was very worried about you while you were gone."

"And I you. You are not wrong in saying I acted foolishly with Mr. Wickham, I realized it myself when it was too late and I should have been suspicious of his putting me in a room I could escape from so easily. I overestimated my own cleverness. But I am not overestimating my ability to climb a tree. You are not powerless; if we work together we can rescue each other. My mistake was acting on my own."

"Can we discuss it rationally; consider the possible outcomes and make a plan before we act?"

"Yes and I brought some food with me. It is not very good but it is better than the bread they gave us."

"Bless you."

Elizabeth opened the package of food she had brought from her room. She had also brought a jug of water mixed with wine. She broke off a piece of cheese and began to lift it toward Mr. Darcy's mouth. He raised his, now free hands and said, "Thank you but I believe I can manage."

"Of course." Elizabeth laughed softly at herself and Mr. Darcy smiled at her in a way that almost made her pleased with her mistake. She regretted her earlier anger. She could not resent his concern for her welfare and she knew if she were to persuade him she must do so using logic and reason.

As they ate Elizabeth said, "Do you believe Mr. Wickham will really let us go once he has what he wants?"

"I do not know. I would not have thought he would do _this_ and there is no predicting how the men with him will act, nor this partner he spoke of. I concede that we would do better to err on the side of expecting the worst, but if anyone is to climb through the window it should be me."

"I would not deny you the honor but it is a small window. I think I am more likely to fit through than you are. Besides, _I_ cannot lift _you_."

"We must also consider the risk of Mr. Wickham anticipating such a move as he did the last time."

"That is true but that window was close to the ground and he thinks your hands are bound so he would not expect you to be able to assist me."

"Have you ever mentioned to Mr. Wickham that you climbed trees as a child?"

"No, it is not an accomplishment of which I usually brag."

"Did you see much of this place while you were out? What can you tell me about it?"

Elizabeth gave him all the details she could about the layout. She also told him, in answer to his queries, that they were mostly surrounded by woods and somewhat rough terrain and that it was a clear night.

"I think I may have an idea where we are. Do you know which direction we came from?"

"I think I have a general idea but I cannot be positive."

"Do you know if my carriage and horses are here?"

"Your carriage they sent with the ransom note but I do not know if they sent back all four of your horses. There are three horses here it is possible two are yours. But I believe Mr. Wickham keeps his saddle in his room and if there are others I do now know where they are. Also, I am no horsewoman. I am willing to try but I might be a hindrance."

Mr. Darcy was quiet for some time, considering her information, before saying, "Here is my opinion, I think our best chance would be to release the horses in the direction of the easiest terrain, hopefully this would fool the men into believing we rode off and they would waste time pursuing us in the wrong direction until the horses stop to eat and even if this does not work they will at least be unable to come after us on horseback. Then we ourselves would walk straight through the woods. The terrain will make walking more difficult but it will also provide us coverage. It being such a clear night will make it easier to see but it will also make us more visible. If I am correct about where we are, we will eventually come to a road which we can then follow while staying out of sight, but if I am wrong I could be leading us into the wilderness with no hope of finding our way and we do not have much food, I still have most of the bread we saved last night, and there is this," he gestured to the uneaten portion of the food Elizabeth had brought they had both been careful not to eat much, "and we might find water but we cannot depend on that."

"If the horses are yours you might lose them by releasing them."

"Yes, but I believe it would give us our best chance and possibly they could be found later or might even return to Pemberley on their own. Also, I do not relish the idea of leaving them to the care of these men."

"It would give us our best chance unless we were caught while working to release them."

"Which is why, you would need to hide in the woods while I release the horses. There is no point in putting us both at risk. The job only requires one. This part of the plan is not debatable if I am to agree to it at all I must have your promise to save yourself if I am recaptured."

Elizabeth was silent considering. She wondered if releasing the horses were really necessary or if his pride demanded that he take this risk for her as she had taken risks for him. The plan did have merit, however, and so she reluctantly agreed.

"Then the question" said he, "is whether there is more risk in staying or in going."

"For my part I would rather take my chances with the forest."

"I think I agree." He sighed, "Is there anything to be done about your skirt? It still seems unsafe to me for you to climb in a gown."

"Perhaps I could pin it up."

"Could you tie it with this? It might hold better" Mr. Darcy undid his cravat.

"Yes, that should work, turn around."

~.~

"Before you turn around you must promise not to laugh or to think less of me for the immodesty of my dress."

Darcy made the required promise but it would have cost him some effort not to laugh —she had tied her skirt up in a way that made it look like an extremely bizarre pair of breeches — except that the arrangement also showed a fair portion of her legs, the sight of which drove any thought of laughter from his mind. Little did she know how incapable he was of thinking badly of her.

They spent some time deciding how he would lift her. Standing on his shoulders would put her in the best position to get through the window but Darcy thought it too likely she would fall before reaching it. He could only see one way of achieving their objective with relative safety and said with some trepidation, "Miss Bennet, I have an idea but I am hesitate to suggest it for fear of offending you by the impropriety."

"Perhaps until we return to polite society we should make an agreement to take each other's suggestions and actions in the best possible light, knowing that we are forced to sacrifice some propriety for the sake of being practical and that we do so with no ignoble intentions but for the sake of our own and each other's well being."

He smiled, "That would certainly make things simpler. Very well, I agree. My idea is that you sit on my shoulders. From that position I think you would be high enough to grasp the bottom of the widow which would allow you to steady yourself and move into a standing position."

"I think that will work." He had not expected her immediate agreement and he was pleased she would trust him so easily. They quickly put the plan into action. He sat on the bench and she climbed onto his shoulders. He rose and walked to stand below the widow. Once she had hold of the window he formed his hands into a type of stirrup which she put her right foot into. She put her weight on her right foot pulling herself up until she could put her left foot on his shoulder. She then placed her right foot to his shoulder as well. Darcy could not avoid a close view of her calves during this procedure and was glad she had tied her skirt in such a way that he could watch her without looking up it.

Miss Bennet was out the window more quickly than Darcy would have imagined possible, leaving him to worry, pace the cell and wonder why he had agreed to such a plan. He imagined her falling, her skirt coming loose and getting caught in the branches, Mr. Wickham emerging from the shadows... He listened attentively, whether more in fear of hearing her scream or in hope of hearing her unbarring the door he could not have said. He wished she would hurry. He hoped she would take her time and proceed with caution. Vexing, vexing woman to worry him so! God how loved her!

At last the door opened and Miss Bennet stood before him unharmed. She had taken down her skirt and handed him his cravat. They excited the cell, rebared the door and walked into the woods without speaking.

They found a place where Miss Bennet would be well hidden and could observe what was happening in case he got caught. After checking that she knew how to locate the north star and keep herself moving in the right direction Darcy put down the food and water, took off his tailcoat, and wrapped it around her.

"May I borrow a pin?" he whispered.

She took three pins and pinned them to his waistcoat, "Here an extra in case you lose the first and one for good luck."

"Remember your promise. If I am caught you will not try to rescue me."

"I remember."

He almost kissed her on the head, as he might Georgiana, but caught himself and said, "I hope to see you soon but if I do not, please take good care of yourself, for my sake."

"I will. Please be careful Mr. Darcy."

It was so difficult to walk away from her he was tempted to turn back and forget about releasing the horses but convinced as he was that it was the best chance he resisted the urge.

He made it to the rundown barn without incident, opened the stalls, and used some apples he found inside the door to coax the horses out, though his mouth watered at the sight of the apples. Once he had them pointed in the direction he wanted, and was down to his last apple, he stuck one with a pin. The horse panicked and ran off. The other two gave chase and Darcy hid himself as best he could waiting for the commotion he felt sure was to follow.

Nothing happened. He waited longer…still nothing. It seemed impossible they had not heard the horses running away. He almost wanted to shout out and get his discovery over with but he continued to wait. Finally convinced that nothing more was going to happen he made his way into the woods and took a circuitous route back to where he had left Miss Bennet, stopping several times to be sure he was not followed and praying that he was not leading her into a worse situation than the one they left behind.

* * *

A/N: Kind of a silly title but this chapter reminded me so much of the A.S.E activities we did at camp I couldn't resist. Thank you so much for reading and all the reviews! So exciting!

If you are concerned about Darcy not having proposed yet and/or Lizzy being ruined I hope you'll bear with me until you see where I'm going with this. There are reasons they haven't discussed it yet.


	5. Her Air and Manner of Walking

The terrain was more difficult than Darcy had realized it would be and at times they were practically climbing. He had formed his cravat into a sling and carried the food in it, slung over his shoulder, but the water jug had to be carried more carefully. It was cumbersome not to have both hands free and even though it was more than half empty, for they had been drinking from it as they went along, it felt no lighter. Sometimes their path was well lit by the moon but at other times they had to go slowly practically feeling their way along. Darcy checked the sky whenever it was visible to insure they kept going in the same direction. As the moon moved slowly toward the horizon it became harder to make their way. When it was possible they walked side by side and he offered Miss Bennet his arm. He noticed she was leaning on it more heavily and he thought he detected signs of a limp. She made no complaint but she also made no objection whenever he suggested a brief rest, which he had been doing more frequently out of concern for her. Neither of them spoke more than a few necessary words here and there, conserving their strength for the journey.

Darcy was about to propose another rest when Miss Bennet slipped and grabbed at his arm to keep from falling. He dropped the water in order to support her, "Miss Bennet! Are you hurt? Are you unwell?"

"No, I only slipped in the mud."

"It is slippery here we will have to be…mud! It has not rained recently if there is mud we must be getting near water!" He picked up the jug, noting that not much had spilled, feeling reanimated by the hope of reaching water. Miss Bennet also seemed to brighten at the prospect. It was not long before they heard the sound of a stream and soon after they came up on it.

When they had drunk their fill Miss Bennet sat on a large rock, removed her boot and felt around inside it frowning, "Ouch!"

"What is it?"

"I think there is something in my boot."

"May I see?"

She handed it to him. She was wearing half boots, made for walking, but they had not been designed for such rigorous use and were not holding up well. Darcy carefully checked her boot and found a thorn wedged in just above the sole. He removed it and held it up.

"How long has this been hurting you?"

"I hardly know. I did not notice it until I stood up from the stream just now."

Had it just happened or was she so tired she did not notice a thorn? Had this been an enormous mistake? He had expected to come to a road long before now but had tried to convince himself this could be accounted for by their making slower progress than expected. The thought of Miss Bennet being in pain undercut what little confidence he had left but he could not give way to such feelings as these. He must do what he could for her.

"Miss Bennet, in the spirit of our earlier agreement, may I see your foot?"

~.~

Mr. Darcy turned to allow her to remove her stocking and she decided to take off her other boot and stocking as well. The stream looked very inviting. Her feet had never been so sore!

She resumed her seat, informed Mr. Darcy that he could turn around and gave him her foot. She was too tired to be embarrassed by the impropriety of his touch, for had not put his gloves back on, but just as he took her foot she realized that after so much time without changing her feet must be rather unpleasant and almost yanked it away. She was stopped, however, by how gently yet firmly he was holding her foot and the look on his face. He frowned slightly with such an expression of tenderness and concern that she was too affected to move even had she wanted to.

"You are bleeding, and you have several blisters. May I see the other?" She compiled and he gently ran his fingers over her ankles as if to compare them, his touch was warm against her skin, "Also your ankle is swollen."

"I came down hard on it when I f… got down from the tree. I may have jarred it but it did not bother me until we had been walking for some time. I am sure if I put my feet in the water for a while it will feel better."

The rock she was sitting on was next to the stream. He picked up her feet and placed them gently in the water pivoting her slightly as he did so. There was a sweetness to the action that pleased her but his tone of voice was not in keeping with the mildness of his actions, "You _fell_?"

"No, no, I merely came down more quickly than I had originally intended."

He raised an eyebrow, "Miss Bennet?"

"Oh very well, when I was almost to the bottom of the tree the cravat came loose and I caught my gown, when I tried to pull myself loose I slipped and fell but it was not far and I landed on my feet."

"You should have told me you were hurt."

"I did not feel myself to be hurt at the time."

As they spoke Mr. Darcy rubbed his shoulders, then rolled them back and moved his neck as if it were sore. He must still be stiff from having his hands restrained for so long. Carrying the water jug could not have helped either. She shifted over and patted the rock next to her. When he sat she put her hands on his shoulders. "May I?"

At his nod she rubbed his shoulders as she continued, "I did not tell you because I did not want you to think that my second plan was as ill conceived as my first. Is this helping?"

"Yes, that is very agreeable! I should not have gotten angry at you for trying to rescue me and, while I would have preferred your safety, you did accomplish a great deal in undoing …aaaahh that is delightful… what was I …Oh yes, you did accomplish a great deal in undoing my chains so that when you put them on again they could be removed. Had you not acted quickly the opportunity would have been lost and I wound not have been able to assist you in climbing out the window."

"We work well together."

"I agree. Could you rub just a little lower? …Yes! …right there. You said before that your mistake was acting alone. Upon consideration I believe your mistake was in trying to use Mr. Wickham's own weapons against him. He has practiced the use of lies and flattery for many years. You could not expect, on your first try, to succeed against a master. If it is any consolation I was entirely taken in by your performance."

"That is no consolation at all! It is only confirming what I already suspected, that I failed to fool the man I wished to deceive and mislead the man I wished to have understand me. You must have though very badly of me, to think that I could still be the dupe of Mr. Wickham, after your information."

"For the most part I was too worried about your being in his power to think badly of you. In retrospect I believe I did you a disservice. If I had considered your character, intelligence and typical good judgment I should have discerned what you were up to."

"This will not do! You only believed me because you are of such noble character that deceit does not occur to you. As you say Mr. Wickham has long been in the practice of lies at flattery and so he expected in me what you were too virtuous to suppose. "

Mr. Darcy suddenly caught his breath and became very still.

Elizabeth took her hands away, "Did I hurt you Mr. Darcy?"

"No, not at all, please continue, or rather do not continue if you are tired of it but do not stop on my account."

Elizabeth smiled, "I can continue a while longer." In truth there was something comforting about touching him. It pleased her to bring him comfort and took her mind off her feet which she had been alternately soaking in the stream and pulling out when it got too cold. By now it felt so natural to touch him, even without his tailcoat between them —for she was still wearing it—, that she hardly gave a thought to the impropriety. For a time they were silent while she continued to kneed the muscles of his shoulders and upper back. Then she said, "How long do you think we have been walking?"

"I am unsure; I think it may be close to dawn. I suggest we find a place to rest for a few hours where we are out of sight. It is clouding over and we will not be able to judge our direction by the stars."

"Can we not follow the stream?"

"Perhaps we should but I still think we ought to rest. If we go on like this we only risk injury. I also think we should eat half our food now and the other half after we have rested before we are too hungry for it to do us any good."

Elizabeth voiced her agreement and then said, "May I see your wrists?"

"At the moment I would grant you anything you might think to request of me."

"Your wrists will do for now."

He turned and held them out to her, pushing up his sleeves to give her a better view. Elizabeth had never wished true evil on another person in her life but she could gladly have done Mr. Wickham bodily harm at the sight of those wrists. She said only, "Would it help to bandage them or would it hurt more?"

"Perhaps it would help. Let us eat and then I will sort out some bandages. We will need them for your feet as well. I thank you for you kind ministrations, Miss Bennet, my shoulders feel much better."

They ate and then, after a great deal of effort with a sharp rock to get it started, Mr. Darcy tore his cravat to shreds. He soaked his wrists in the stream before Elizabeth dried and bandaged them. His attentions to her feet took a little longer. The bandages must be carefully wrapped and tucked in such a way as to protect her from more blisters without making her boots too tight and he insisted on her trying her boots on several times to check the fit. If Elizabeth felt she could have done this herself with less fuss and more efficiency she did not mention it. After this Elizabeth performed the highly disagreeable but necessary task of putting her dirty stockings back on. She was tempted to leave them off but there was no practical reason to sacrifice this particular propriety and not knowing when they might find civilization she did not wish to be caught without them.

They found a spot, a short distance from the stream, amidst several large boulders where they felt they would be hidden relatively well and were likely to hear if anyone approached. They sat leaning against one of the boulders. It was warmer than their night in the cell but the stream had chilled her and the boulder had lost any warmth it might have held earlier. She drew Mr. Darcy's coat around herself more tightly and noticed him shiver.

Elizabeth yawned, "Mr. Darcy I am afraid you will undo my earlier work leaning against this boulder. If you do not mind keeping me warm you can use your coat for cushioning."

As soon as she had spoken the words she was struck by her own daring and half feared she had taken their agreement too far but he replied, "That is very kind, I thank you."

She smiled, "Yes, what could be more generous than offering you your own coat." As she spoke he leaned forward and she placed the coat behind him, folding it so as to give him as much comfort as possible. Then she snuggled against him, wondering that she did so with no stiffness or embarrassment, and he put his arms around her.

"Mr. Darcy," she murmured, "For your sake I am glad you were not recaptured while releasing the horses but, selfishly, I am even more glad for my own. I do not believe I could have managed trudging so far without you."

"You might do better to reserve your judgment until we know the outcome," he yawned, "I cannot in good conscience be glad you are here but I will say…that you have made this entire experience much more agreeable than it would have been without you."

His voice had been growing softer as he spoke and he mumbled something at the end that Elizabeth could not make out. She was asleep before she could ask him to repeat it.

~.~

Elizabeth was awakened the next morning by rain drops hitting her face. She felt there was no part of her body that did not ache. She was laying on the ground with Mr. Darcy's coat over her. She was alone.

"Mr. Darcy?" There was no reply.

She stood up looking around and calling as loudly as she dared, "Mr. Darcy?"

When she still received no reply her heart beat faster. What could have happened to him? She took a deep breath forcing herself to stay calm. Surely nothing could have happened to him without her noticing. He had probably just needed some privacy and had slipped away without wanting to wake her. He would be back soon. But when she came back from seeking her own private spot and he still had not returned she could no longer convince herself that all was well.

Where could he have gone? Should she look for him or wait for him here? Waiting seemed more logical, in case he might come back and not know where _she_ was, but she had no patience for it and decided to look for him by the stream and come back if he was not there.

Things looked different than they had by night but Elizabeth managed to make her way back to the stream. When she did not see Mr. Darcy there she became anxious enough to call out to him more loudly as she walked along the bank, "Mr. Darcy?" there was a note of shrill panic in her voice, "Mr. Darcy!"

"I am here."

A few more steps in the direction of his voice brought him into sight. He had been sitting in their previous location with his feet in the stream and been blocked from her sight by the trees. She only now realized she had come to the stream in a different place.

At the sound of her voice Mr. Darcy stood and hurried toward her, "What is wrong?"

She tried to catch her breath, "I could not find you."

He looked as if he expected her to say more and when she did not he asked, "Is that all? You scared me!"

" _I_ scared _you_! What do you mean by wondering off like that?"

For a moment she thought he would make an angry retort but then his expression softened. "I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you. I needed to …cool off and I did not wish to disturb you. I intended to return before you woke."

By now she was embarrassed by her outburst, "Of course, I am sorry I got angry, but another time I would prefer that you err on the side of waking me." It seemed odd that he would need to cool off, for there was a light drizzle and the day was not overly warm, but she did not question him.

"I will keep that in mind. Only I hope we will find our way soon enough that it will not be necessary. Here," he handed her the small package containing what was left of the food, "your portion of the last of our food. I kept it as dry as possible for you. I am afraid the rain has not improved it."

She moved stiffly to sit on the rock and ate her food while Mr. Darcy put his boots back on. Then joined her saying, "If you are sore I would gladly repay the favor you did me last night."

"If you think we have time I would be grateful."

"I do not think a few more minutes will hurt." She removed his coat, from around her shoulders, and sat with her back to him. He rubbed her neck and shoulders and her lower back just beneath her short corset. His hands were strong and firm. His touch made her feel warm all over, and gave her a giddy almost tingly sensation. She found herself imagining how it would feel if the corset were not there, remembering the touch of his bare hands on her feet and wishing…

She quickly drew her mind back to the situation at hand and said, "Thank you Mr. Darcy. I feel much better now. We ought to get started."

"I think we should…" she had stood to face Mr. Darcy and he quickly averted his eyes, his voice sounded strange, "Miss Bennet would you please put my coat back on?"

"What is..Oh!" She looked down at herself and felt her face grow warm. The rain was so light that she had not realized how wet she was getting and her gown was no longer doing its office. She quickly put his tailcoat around her shoulders and then slipped her arms into the sleeves, for good measure, pushing them up as best she could. The coat came lower on her than it did on him but it still left something to be desired and she pulled at her skirt and petticoat trying to keep them from clinging so much to her legs.

"I was saying," Mr. Darcy continued still looking away, "that I think we should follow the stream as you suggested. I do not know where it will lead but we cannot judge our direction from the sun. Also, it will give us a source of water."

She laughed a little at that, given the weather, and said, "I am in favor of following the stream simply because it goes downhill."

They started off, making their way slowly across the wet ground. Damp and tired and having eaten the last of their food Elizabeth reflected that she ought to be more worried but found herself unaccountably hopeful that they would find their way and everything would end well.

Their progression was easier now that it was daytime and their path along the stream was not as difficult as the one they had followed during the night but the rain made the ground slippery and forced them to move slowly. For most of the time Elizabeth walked behind Mr. Darcy. She could not help observing that his clothing was also affected by the rain. At first she was most agreeably distracted in noticing he was a fine figure of a man and kept himself in excellent condition. She wondered how she had failed to notice this before but soon she had no attention to spare for anything except putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to get tangled in her wet skirt. Sometimes they found blackberries. Never enough to do more than wet their appetites but they kept them from growing faint.

They had been walking for some time and Elizabeth had fallen behind by several yards —she did not bother to call out to Mr. Darcy knowing that any moment now he would look back to check on her as he had been doing— when she saw him step into what she took to be a clearing take three large strides forward, look around, and drop to his knees. Elizabeth hurried forward with no little alarm when she suddenly realized he was kneeling in the middle of a road and, far from having sustained an injury; he was kneeling with his eyes closed his, his face turned upward, and saying softly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you…" It was only when Elizabeth saw him so overcome with gratitude and relief that she comprehended what the magnitude of his worry had been. She came up quietly and knelt down next to him. After a few moments he noticed her presence and turned his face to her saying quietly in a voice indicative of wonder, "Miss Bennet, I know where we are."

* * *

 _A/N: I considered ending this chapter where Elizabeth wakes up alone but I decided it would be too mean, plus kind of makes it seem a bigger deal than it was. I hope you'll all keep reading even without too much of a cliffhanger ;o). I have an interview next week so it might take me a bit longer to get the next chapter up. Thank you again for reading and for all the encouraging reviews!_

 _In answer to a question: They didn't take the horses because they didn't have saddles and by that I meant to imply they didn't have any other riding gear like reigns either, I should have made that more clear. Usually when someone asks a question I try to get the answer into the story but I didn't think I could work this one in._

* * *

 _A/N2: I just had to share this little tidbit I came across during my research (and by "research" I mean Google searches ;) :_

Some gentlemen insist on stripping off their gloves before shaking hands; —a piece of barbarity, of which no lady will be guilty. — _Etiquette for the ladies: eighty maxims on dress, manners (1837)_


	6. Rescue

They stopped for a short rest and to refill the water jug before abandoning the stream. They still had miles before them but the knowledge that they were on a course toward home lifted both their spirits. They had originally planned that, should they reach a road, they would follow it while keeping out of sight but the temptation to walk unimpeded, by anything but mud, was too much and they agreed that if they were careful to look about them often and listen attentively it was reasonable to walk on the road.

They had not been walking long when they heard the unmistakable sound of a carriage or wagon approaching. They quickly moved out of sight and their eyes met, the same thought passing between them, this could be their salvation or their destruction. Elizabeth said quietly, "I did not set eyes on any form of transportation but there was much of the place I did not see."

Mr. Darcy nodded. He handed her the water jug saying, "Stay hidden. I will see who it is. If I do not return wait to be sure it is safe and follow this road without turning off and it will take you into Lambton."

"No, we should not separate _now_. The risk is not worth saving the walk."

"It is further than you imagine and we have had very little food. _Please_ , Miss Bennet, let me have my way in this. There is no time for rational debate." With that he was off before she could reply.

Elizabeth heard Mr. Darcy call out to the driver. She heard an angry challenge in reply. Then she heard Mr. Darcy speak a second time, the conveyance stop, and the driver reply again in a friendly tone of surprise. She did not have long to wait until Mr. Darcy was back. He was carrying a small lap blanket and he was smiling. "It is Benjamin Hyatt, one of my tenant farmers, with his wagon. He will give us a ride to Pemberley. We can send word to the Gardiners from there."

Elizabeth quickly wrapped the blanket around her waist and allowed Mr. Darcy to hand her into the seat and introduce Benjamin Hyatt. She was too tired for more than a smile and a brief word of thanks but she offered them with all the sincerity of truly grateful heart as Mr. Darcy climbed up beside her. The seat was not quite long enough for three and she and Mr. Darcy compressed themselves as much as possible. Elizabeth was not sorry for the arrangement. Now that they were seated she had leisure to realize how tired she was and thought that, were it not for Mr. Darcy's arm around her and his solid presence at her side as she leaned against him, she would not have had the strength to stay upright.

She closed her eyes and listened to Benjamin Hyatt saying, "Are you sure I cannot lend you my coat Mr. Darcy? I would be more than happy to."

"No, I thank you, but there is no use in both of us getting wet through, the ride and the blanket are enough. I will compensate you for your time."

"That is not necessary, Mr. Darcy, after everything you have done for my family it is my pleasure to give you a ride. Thanks to you, I can easily afford the time."

After that Elizabeth must have nodded off for she did not hear Mr. Darcy's reply and the next thing she knew he was waking her to tell her they were home.

~.~

As Benjamin Hyatt drove off Miss Bennet took Darcy's arm saying, "Oh, I still have his blanket."

"Keep it for now, I will send it back to him, I will need to send him something anyway."

"You do not intend to compensate him for his time do you?"

"Why would I not?"

"He seemed so pleased to do a service for you. No one likes to feel a gift is unappreciated. But if you really think he cannot afford the time of course you must compensate him. You know his circumstances. It was presumptuous of me to say anything, I apologize."

"You may be right. I will give it some thought."

"What did you do for his family?"

"I did nothing more than my duty as a Landlord."

He was saved from further inquiry on the topic by their having reached the door and his butler letting them in. For a moment Barrow took on a haughty expression and looked as if he might turn them away but then his eyes widened in recognition, "Mr. Darcy! May I say, I am very glad to see _you_ Sir! Very glad indeed!"

Darcy surprised him by giving him a hearty handshake. "I thank you Barrow. I am glad to be back."

"His Lordship is in the library with Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Gardiner and some of the other gentleman discussing your ransom. Shall I…" he looked at Miss Bennet as if unsure whether to offer to take her wrappings.

Darcy gave his head a brief shake and said, "What happened to John? Was he injured?"

"He was found nearby. He took a nasty blow to the head but Mr. Grant has been checking on him daily and is hopeful there was no permanent damage. But, he feels terrible, of course about what happened, as does Tom who had gone inside to attend to the ladies."

"I will go to see John later. Please assure them both that there is nothing they could have done. We will show ourselves to the library. Please have refreshment sent there for us immediately. I do not care what it is as long it can be brought to us right away. Make it perfectly clear that no time is to be spent on preparation other than putting it on a tray and bringing it up to us."

"I will see to it Mr. Darcy. Shall I tell Miss Darcy you are home? And, Mrs. Gardiner is here as well."

"Yes, but see to the food first."

"Very good, Sir."

As they entered the library his uncle and cousin stood talking with Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Hurst some of the other gentleman were standing nearby looking as if they were not sure whether they should be there or not. Mr. Hurst was saying, "Surely we must follow their instructions to the letter. You will not want to take to take any chances with Darcy's welfare."

Colonel Fitzwilliam was the only one who had looked up at their entrance. He caught Darcy's eye and gave him a huge grin, "It is my opinion that there is no point in sending any money at all."

His statement was met by shocked silence and then the others followed his gaze and noticed the couple. At first they only stared and Darcy thought for the first time what a sight they must be. He had not shaved for days and was in state of dishabille. No wonder Benjamin Hicks had failed to recognize him. Miss Bennet at least was decently covered but the blanket and tail coat made for a very odd ensemble and her hair was in complete disarray. Darcy wondered how he had ever thought her merely tolerable. Even now he was struck by her beauty.

Mr. Gardiner was the first to react and greeted his niece with all the warmth and affection one might imagine while Darcy was met with hearty handshakes and slaps on the back. When Mr. Gardiner finally let her go Darcy introduced Miss Bennet to his uncle, the Earl of —, led her to a chair and took one himself.

"How did you escape Darcy?" asked Mr. Hurst.

"They were keeping Miss Bennet in a room with a window. She climbed out and unlocked my cell."

Colonel Fitzwilliam smirked, "Very heroic, Darcy."

"Your cousin does not do himself justice," Miss Bennet answered him. "It was Mr. Darcy who found our way back. I never could have walked such a distance without him."

For a moment Darcy had been afraid she was going to say something that would reveal they were in the same cell but of course she did not. All the same he was grateful to Mr. Gardiner for changing the subject by saying to him, "I will need to send an express to Longbourn to let them know Lizzy is out of danger. Mr. Bingley and his sister travelled there as soon as we learned of your abduction to let her family know what happened and they will be anxious for news. "

"Of course," at this point the refreshment arrived. Darcy turned to Barrow, who had come in with the servants delivering it, and said, "Mr. Gardiner needs to send an express. Will you take care of it?"

"Of course, Sir."

Miss Bennet stopped him by saying, "One moment Mr. Barrow, I believe you mentioned a Mr. Grant has been checking on Mr. Darcy's coachman?"

"Yes Miss, Mr. Grant is a surgeon in Lambton. He holds an apothecary license as well."

"Has he been here yet today?"

"No but we expect him within the next few hours."

"Thank you Mr. Barrow." She then turned to Darcy, "You should have him examine you."

His Lordship looked at her rather sharply and asked her, "Why is that?"

"One of the men who abducted us hit Mr. Darcy on the head. He was…I do not know how long he was unconscious."

He turned to his nephew and said, "Mr. Grant may do for your coachman but we must send for a Physician to examine _you_."

"But is there one in the area?" Miss Bennet asked Lord —, "Mr. Darcy ought to be seen as soon as possible."

His Lordship looked startled to be addressed in this way and Darcy quickly interjected. "Mr. Grant has a great deal of experience with head injuries there is no need for a Physician." Then addressing himself to Miss Bennet he continued, "I will see him before long but as soon as I have eaten I intend to put together a search party to track down Mr. Wickham and his men. We cannot afford to lose any time. We do not know how long it is since they discovered our absence and whether they will still be searching for us or will have decided to make their own escape."

They had both been eating as the conversation progressed. Darcy's staff had done an admirable job coming up with a repast for them on short notice and he was having trouble not eating too quickly.

"You are not doing that with a head injury Darcy," said his uncle, then indicating Colonel Fitzwilliam he added, "Charles can manage the search party."

"I must go. I know where we were kept."

"Well, I will know too if you tell me, Darcy," said Fitzwilliam.

Darcy glared at his cousin but he gave him a quick description of where they had come from. His cousin nodded, "I know the place, it use to be used as an army barracks."

"Is it really worth going to so much trouble, Darcy?" asked Mr. Hurst, "Now that you are back and there is no harm done?"

"No harm do you call it? We were abducted!"

"Of course, of course…"

Now two of the gentleman, Randal and Kitteridge, put themselves forward saying, "How can we help Darcy?"

"We all want to help."

"Very well. Go into Lambton and find as many men as you can to join the search party. Offer them… whatever you think is enough to make it worth their while but do not take anyone who does not seem up to the task and do not bother looking for the constable. He is an old man. We can use his services in retaining Mr. Wickham once he is caught but not before. Also, some of you can arrange for horses and transportation. Any who do not ride can search on foot but they must be brought to the starting location. "

The gentlemen left in order to carry out the plan and Barrow said, "Excuse me Mr. Darcy, but I know a number of the servants would like to help as well."

Darcy frowned considering, "Very well but make sure they know it is not a requirement and only allow those to go who you feel are up to the task. But first take care of Mr. Gardiner's express. Please do that now."

"Yes, Mr. Darcy."

Before leaving the room Mr. Gardiner expressed his desire to join the search party. It rankled Darcy to have everyone else out looking for Mr. Wickham without him. He turned to Miss Bennet, "I have gone this long without Mr. Grant. I do not think a few more hours would make a difference."

"Failing to seek immediate treatment when you had not choice is no argument for putting it off _now_."

Before he could answer Georgiana entered with Mrs. Gardiner. After greeting him and expressing her happiness for his safe return Georgiana turned to Miss Bennet and said, "Come with me Miss Bennet, we have a room ready for you and your things are here. You must want to get into dry things and you look exhausted. We can bring refreshment with us."

"I will be very happy to accept your hospitality, Miss Darcy, as soon as your brother promises to have Mr. Grant examine his head injury and not to go out again until this is done."

Georgiana's eyes widened, "Fitzwilliam, you _must_ see Mr. Grant!" As soon as she had spoken she looked alarmed at her own daring and lowered her eyes.

"I will take care of my nephew, Miss Bennet," said the earl and Darcy did not like the sharpness of his tone or his expression when he addressed her. He probably thought she was concerning herself too much with his welfare or being overly officious. Darcy would have to clarify matters with her as soon as possible.

Darcy took Georgiana's hand and gave it a quick squeeze to show her he was not angry. He addressed himself to her but included both ladies in his gaze saying, "If you and Miss Bennet are united against me I have no choice but to bow to your wishes." Then addressing himself only to Miss Bennet he added, "You must see him as well."

Miss Bennet agreed and allowed herself to be supported by Georgiana and Mrs. Gardiner and led away, while a maid took up her plate, added more food to it, refilled her glass and followed, leaving Darcy alone with his uncle and cousin. Darcy watched them go feeling annoyed to have Miss Bennet taken away from him, even by his own sister but a moment later he felt guilty for not seeing to her comfort immediately. He had gotten in the habit of having her nearby but there was no reason for her to stay while they were making their plans.

Fitzwilliam interrupted his train of thought, "She has been very strong through all of this. You would be proud of her Darcy."

"I am." As he spoke Darcy realized his cousin must have been talking about Georgian and quickly added, "…glad."

"Well then Darcy. Is there anything more you need to say to Charles before he gets started? If not finish eating and go make yourself presentable and then _we will talk_."

Fitzwilliam gave him a sympathetic shrug and winked, "I have to agree with my father as to your making yourself presentable, Darcy. Anyone would think you had gone swimming with your clothes on."

Darcy sighed, half in amusement half in exasperation, "That is silly. No one would believe I would swim in my clothes."

~.~

Darcy stepped into the hallway glad to be alone. There was one more thing he intended to do before going to his dressing room. One of the men had mentioned having a miniature of him and he could only think of one place it could have come from. He went into his father's study and sent for Mrs. Reynolds. As he waited he stared at the miniatures. They _looked_ as if they were all in the same position but he could not be sure. He rarely came into this room.

Mrs. Reynolds entered beaming at him fondly, "You asked to see me Mr. Darcy?"

"Yes. Mrs. Reynolds, have you noticed anything unusual or suspicious about these miniatures lately? Anything that might give you reason to think one had been moved for example?"

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. The very day you disappeared I noticed _your_ miniature was missing. I was going to tell you about it when you and Miss Darcy returned but then you did not return and John was found injured, and with one thing after another I forgot all about it. Then I came in here again a day or two later and it was back and well…"

"Yes?"

"I thought if one of the ladies had been admiring it I did not want to cause any embarrassment. It was back after all. Did I do wrong, Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy wondered which of his guests Mrs. Reynolds suspected of mooning over his picture but only said, "No. The information you have given me may prove valuable. Tell me something else, aside from Miss Bennet and the Gardiners has anyone taken a tour of this house and then returned for any reason?"

"No, Sir."

"I see. Thank you."

"Mr. Darcy I am very glad you and the young Lady are safe. Very glad indeed!"

"Thank you Mrs. Reynolds and please see that every possible attention is paid to Miss Bennet."

"Of course, Mr. Darcy."

"That is all I needed. I thank you."

"My pleasure, Mr. Darcy."

When she did not leave he said, "Unless there is something you need from me?"

"Oh, no Mr. Darcy, thank you." She curtsied and left the room stopping to glance back at him fondly one more time.

Darcy continued to ponder the miniatures later in his dressing room as Wilkes shaved and fussed over him. It had to have been someone who was staying with him or who had regular access to the house. Unless the person who took it originally was not the same one who returned it, he should have asked more questions about tours. Wickham had spoken of a partner but maybe…

"Are these pins here for a reason Mr. Darcy?" Wilkes asked.

"What do you mean?"

"There are three pins in your waistcoat."

"Oh yes! One of those is for good luck, let me have them."

Wilkes handed over the pins looking at him uncertainly, "I could fetch a pin cushion, Sir."

"No, I do not want to lose them, give me a handkerchief."

Wilkes did as he was bid. Darcy carefully placed the pins in the handkerchief and lay it lovingly on his dresser.

If Wilkes found this behavior strange he made no comment.

~.~

By the time Darcy was clean, shaved, and dressed. Mr. Grant had arrived and did his examination. He did not like that Mr. Darcy had waited so long to see him but supposed it could not be helped. As with John he had every reason to hope there was no permanent damage and said he would check on him again the next day. After this Darcy asked him to see Miss Bennet as well and Mr. Grant agreed.

Darcy considered waiting for Mr. Grant to examine Miss Bennet and then inquiring after her but decided against it. It was likely she would want to rest and it was better she have time to recover before they spoke. He did not like that he would not have the opportunity to explain himself to her before explaining himself to his uncle but perhaps it was for the best. This way, should she wish to refuse him, he would know what could be done to protect her reputation. He did not want her to feel as if she had no choice.

As he headed to his study, where he was told his Lordship was waiting for him, Darcy admitted to himself he was glad he had taken the time to change and be made presentable. He generally got along well with his uncle but that was due, in part, to their being in agreement more often than not. The earl was use to having his own way and disagreements between them could become intense. Today opposition was likely and Darcy was in the unfamiliar position of needing something from him.

Darcy entered the study and poured himself a glass of port before taking a seat across from his uncle.

Lord — spoke first, "Miss Bennet takes an eager interest in you well being."

Darcy brightened, "Do you think so?" Then remembering himself he added, "But we have just been through a harrowing experience together it may be nothing more than she would feel for anyone."

"Harrowing indeed, it must have taken you a long time to walk so far."

"It did."

"And yet you arrived here early in the day."

"If you are attempting to ascertain whether we were alone together all night, we were. We started walking at some point after dark last night. We stopped before dawn and slept for what was probably a few hours, I cannot be sure. There was no misconduct between us, aside from the impropriety of our being alone for so long which could not be avoided."

"It would have been more prudent for you to remain where you were. We were arranging for your ransom."

"I did not know if the men who abducted us would hold up their side of the bargain. Furthermore, I did not feel it was safe for Miss Bennet to stay. I take an eager interest in her wellbeing." If it came out later that they had been kept in the same cell his Lordship would be angry that he had not been forthcoming but Darcy never considered telling him. He could not avoid admitting they had walked so far alone but he would not say more than what could easily be guessed.

"Her family may make trouble over that. They are likely to see it as a chance to have her advantageously married. Do you think they can be bought off?"

"I am well acquainted with Miss Bennet's character. She is not at all mercenary and is the last woman on earth I could suspect of collaborating with such a plan." The suggestion of buying her off Darcy would not dignify with a response and instead turned the conversation to what was most on his mind, "If we do not marry I will do anything within my power to protect Miss Bennet's reputation. In this I would be grateful for your support."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Could you and Lady — be persuaded to receive her in town and be seen with her publically? Perhaps take her to the theater?" Darcy forced himself to remain calm as he waited for his Lordship's reply. He could do this without the —s, he had other influential friends, but they were well known for their high moral characters and their public approval of Miss Bennet would go a long way."

"That is a lot to ask her uncle is in trade."

It was not so long ago that he would have felt the same way and did not enjoy being reminded of his earlier attitude but he replied evenly, "Her father has an estate in Herefordshire and I can assure you Miss Bennet will give you no reason to regret any attentions you are gracious enough to pay her."

"I understand she has no dowry."

"Why should that concern you? I am not asking you to find her a husband." Darcy cringed inwardly at his own tone. He had spoken more sharply than he intended.

"Your cousin speaks highly of her." His Lordship was quiet for some time before finally saying, "Very well, we will do as you ask."

Darcy took a deep breath, "And can I expect you to extend her the same curtsey if she agrees to be my wife?"

His Lordship frowned, "I thought we were discussing a way to _save_ you from having to marry her."

Darcy immediately realized his mistake, "Please forgive me. I was unclear. I mean to ask Miss Bennet to marry me as it is, and has been for many months, my greatest desire that she be my wife. However, I would not like her to feel that marriage to me is her only alternative to ruin. I asked you to help me protect her reputation if we do not marry so that I might offer her a choice."

His uncle regarded him with undisguised astonishment, "Darcy I fear that blow you took to the head has done more damage than was immediately apparent. If you give her a choice there is no question of her accepting you!"

"I hope you will allow that I am much better acquainted with Miss Bennet's character than you are and I can assure you that her accepting me is by no means certain."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I do."

"Ah, I see what has happened; you are accustomed to women who are clearly eager to marry you. Miss Bennet has attracted you because you are uncertain of her regard. But have you considered that her indifference may be a clever ruse calculated to draw you in?"

"I can only assure you I have good reason to believe that is not the case."

"It is not an alliance that would please me."

"My Lord, I would be sorry to lose your good opinion but your disapproval will not deter me."

His Lordship, leaned back studying Darcy carefully, "Have you considered what you would be giving up to marry this girl? You could marry your cousin and unite the two estates as your mother once wished for you. Even the daughters of many peers would not think you beneath them. Miss Bennet will bring you nothing of value."

This was almost too much, but for Miss Bennet's sake, Darcy was able to maintain his composure, "On this point we must disagree. In my opinion, should Miss Bennet accept me, I would gain considerably more than I would be giving up."

"Perhaps your emotions have been stirred up by your adventure."

"My admiration of Miss Bennet predates our "adventure" by many months, but I will not deny that her behavior throughout the event has convinced me she is even more worthy than I originally believed. Where most women would have been passive she took the initiative and offered creative solutions. Under conditions where many would swoon she was brave and faced hardship without complaint."

"It is to her credit of course, that she managed so well but it is not a situation you are likely to face again."

"No, but the situation revealed enough about her nature, skills and intelligence to convince me I could not have a better partner in any sort of adversity."

"You are determined to have her then."

"If she accepts me, I am."

"Lady Catherine will not be happy."

"I have never acted so as to raise Miss de Bourgh's expectations."

His Lordship raised an eyebrow as if to say that had little bearing on the matter, and shook his head, "If you were my son I would forbid it but if you will not listen to reason there is nothing I can do. I only hope you will not come to regret it later. I will not refuse to see you because of the match."

"I thank you. I truly believe that if you get to know Miss Bennet you will no longer wonder at my choice."

"Well that remains to be seen."

"And if she does not accept me?"

"Then we will receive her in town and take her to the theater as I agreed and I will count myself lucky that I am not receiving her as my niece. You ought to have told me your plans up front it makes what you ask of me, if you do _not_ marry, seem more agreeable by comparison."

At this Darcy smiled, "I do not have much practice asking for favors."

After giving his nephew his promise not to speak of this until Darcy had an answer one way or the other the earl left him alone. It had gone better than Darcy had expected and he had achieved his goal. He could give Miss Bennet a choice.

Darcy remained alone in his study too tired to seek employment and too agitated too be still. He was anxious for news of the search party and was tempted to ride out after them but he had promised Mr. Grant he would stay quietly at home for the next few days. Besides, it would worry Miss Bennet and his uncle would be angry if he did anything so foolish. He would do better not to antagonize him

After a while Mrs. Reynolds came to tell him Miss Bennet had been seen by Mr. Grant, that Mr. Grant did not think her ankle badly injured but recommended her staying off it for a few days, and due to her spending so much time in wet clothing, had given her some draughts and recommended plenty of rest, that she was being well cared for, was in good spirits and had decided to go to bed. She again expressed her pleasure at having her master home safe, asked if she could not get him anything, anything at all, received his thanks, and left him. Darcy suspected Mrs. Reynolds had only brought him news of Miss Bennet as a reason to talk to him but he was glad to be given the information without having to inquire. If Miss Bennet had gone to bed it meant he would not have the chance to talk with her today and he reconciled himself to this with equal parts of relief and regret. He could scarcely allow himself to hope Miss Bennet would give him a favorable reply and yet, there had been moments between them during their captivity and journey that seemed to indicate some small hope was not entirely unreasonable. He was not sorry to hold on to it a little longer.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm writing two chapters ahead of the last posted then coming back and revising and posting. The next chapter took me a little longer so it delayed revising this one. I was trying to answer everyone who reviews at least once but I've fallen behind so I hope to catch up at some point. In the meantime thank you for the reviews and thanks for reading._

 _For anyone who is wondering at this: IMO there's precedent for Darcy's thinking regarding Lizzy's reputation: In the original Darcy only facilities Lydia's marriage after he fails to convince her to return to her family. I can't think he would bring her home just to be ruined forever and bring her sisters down with her so he must have thought the rumor could be contained. In "Wives and Daughters" a prominent member of society saves another character's reputation by making a point of being seen with her in public and if anything that was a stricter time. So, even if you don't like it I hope you'll bear with me until you see where this is going._


	7. Nightmares

Elizabeth was taken to a large dressing room. She had never been so glad to have her clothes stripped off in her life. She put on a clean shift and wrapped herself in her dressing gown —for the Gardiners were now staying at Pemberley and her things had been brought here— and finished eating while she waited for the bath Miss Darcy had taken the liberty of ordering for her. It was well meant and Elizabeth did not have the heart to tell her she would prefer not get wet again so soon. It felt absolutely luxurious to be dry!

Just as she was told the water was ready to come up she was also sent word that Mr. Grant was with Mr. Darcy and would see her next if she was available. She sent orders delaying the water and put on a day dress. She was not so unwell as to feel she could meet Mr. Grant without being properly dressed and it would be foolish to try to take the bath first and rush through it after all the preparation involved. Besides, she was anxious to know how Mr. Grant had found Mr. Darcy.

It did not take long for Mr. Grant to examine her and give her what reassurance he could about Mr. Darcy's head injury. He also confirmed that he had examined Mr. Darcy's wrists as well and that they were healing nicely.

Now that Elizabeth could bath with leisure she was glad she had not refused, for the tub was large, the water was hot and it soothed her sore muscles. She lay back and closed her eyes as two maids worked through the tangles in her hair and another kept a kettle going and occasionally added hot water. It felt strange to have so many attendants for her bath but she should probably get use to it if…what was she thinking? Did she _expect_ Mr. Darcy to make her another offer? Did she _want_ him to? There had been moments between them that made her almost sure he would but it was not enough for her to _depend_ on it happening. Whatever he might have felt for her under the extraordinary conditions, when they were so dependent on each other, could fade now that they were home and in circumstances exactly calculated to mark the difference in their connections. Surely _his_ uncle would not approve of _hers_. How much influence his Lordship might have over Mr. Darcy she had no way of knowing, but she could not forget the family obstacles he had spoken of in Hunsford and think those obstacles might appear more formidable when immediately before him with a disapproving frown.

For her reputation Elizabeth had no worries. She knew enough of Mr. Darcy's character to know he would not let her be ruined. Added to that was the protectiveness he had shown toward her not only during their captivity and journey but in the way he had spoken upon their return. He to whom disguise of every sort was abhorrence had made it sound as if they were kept in separate rooms. Of course there was still the fact that they had been alone for so long overnight. Certainly the Gardiners could be trusted not to spread any rumors and Mr. Darcy's uncle would have an interest in keeping the matter quiet but with so many guests in the house she wondered how he could think secrecy at all possible. Yet she trusted Mr. Darcy completely, if anyone had the necessary resources to save her it was he, and the very fact that he had not renewed his proposal convinced her he did not see marriage as the only option for preserving her honor.

She would not want Mr. Darcy to feel _trapped_ into renewing his offer. She knew it was for her sake he had made the trek through the forest. He had put up with the misery of the journey and all the worry and anxiety, all for her. She was sure if he had been alone he would not have felt the danger of staying to outweigh the risks of getting lost.

As she laid in water these thoughts drifted lazily through Elizabeth's head, growing more and more sluggish until she was startled by one of the maids asking her if she would like to be getting out now and she realized she must have dozed off. She certainly would not need the sleeping draught Mr. Grant had left for her. She wondered how she would stay awake long enough to climb from the bath tub and change into a night gown. The task was completed however and she was led into an adjoining bedroom where her aunt was waiting for her. It was a very large room, beautifully yet tastefully decorated. Even after her tour of Pemberley, Elizabeth would not have expected the guest rooms to be this fine. After assuring the maid there was nothing else she could possibly need Elizabeth climbed into bed. Mrs. Gardiner must have realized how tired she was for she only spoke to her briefly to express again how glad she was to have Elizabeth back safely before kissing her on the forehead, telling her to rest well and promising to check on her later. Elizabeth was grateful not have to answer any questions. Alone at last she closed her eyes expecting to fall asleep immediately but sleep did not come. It suddenly felt odd to her not to have the comforting presence of Mr. Darcy nearby. Had it only been two nights they had been together? Somehow it felt as if it had been a very long time since she had slept alone. She was in the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, yet could not find the comfort she had found in Mr. Darcy's arms. Maybe she would need the sleeping draught after all.

~.~

The first three men of the search party to return were a jubilant Randal and Kitteridge accompanied by a disgruntled looking Mr. Hurst.

"We caught him Darcy! We caught Wickham!" Randal exclaimed as the three men entered.

Kitteridge continued, "Hurst here found him first and then Randal and I came upon them just as Wickham was pointing a pistol at him."

"Lucky we came along, aye Hurst?" Randal gave Hurst a hearty slap on the back. Neither of the gentlemen seemed to notice that he did not seem to be sharing their enthusiasm. Frankly Darcy was a little surprised Hurst had exerted himself enough to join the search party at all.

"So we split up, Randal here circled round…"

"While Kitteridge kept him talking…"

"…and Randal _tackled_ him from the side!"

"He fired but his shot went wild. No one was hurt…"

"and then we put him on a horse tied his hands and brought him to the constable."

"He is locked up now. Safe and sound."

Darcy listened half in amusement, to hear them talk about capturing Wickham as if it were a sport he had provided to entertain them and half in alarm that they had taken such a risk. He thanked them sincerely and gave them all a drink which Randal and Kitteridge used to toast their success while Hurst drank his down quickly and poured accepted another.

As the day wore on toward evening more members of the search party returned. Darcy was given the news that the horses had been found. Two had indeed turned out to be his carriage horses and were being cared for, the other had been returned to the Inn where Mr. Wickham had rented it. The men who had been working for Mr. Wickham had not been found nor were there any clues about his partner.

Rather than a formal dinner, refreshments were provided for all the searchers to eat as they arrived and all were treated to the tale of Mr. Wickham's capture which was necessarily recounted by Randal and Kitteridge each time someone turned up who had not yet heard it. Far from losing their enthusiasm for the task their spirits seemed to grow more passionate with each retelling as the details of their heroics increased and Darcy almost expected they would soon be acting out the scene. Hurst did not share their interest and, after eating his fill, had disappeared.

As the time wore on, Darcy caught himself looking for Bingley before remembering that Bingley had gone to Herefordshire. He was glad Bingley had thought to bring word to Miss Bennet's family but he found himself missing him. It seemed so long ago that he had made his confession to Bingley. Had it really only been a few days? He wondered if Bingley were concerned enough over his abduction to supersede his anger and where things stood between Bingley and the eldest Miss Bennet. His bringing her word of her sister's abduction, and being present to comfort her at such an anxious time could bring them closer together, though he was sure Bingley would not have thought of that. When Mr. Gardiner's post arrived, Darcy was sure their shared happiness would bring them closer still and Bingley would once again be enjoying Miss Bennet's smiles.

Thinking of Mr. Gardiner's express gave Darcy pause. Miss Bingley had spoken to him at length not half an hour ago asking about his well being and telling him how glad she was that he was unharmed. She did not mention Miss Bennet and Darcy imagined she would like to forget he'd had a partner in his misfortune. But, had not Mr. Gardiner said that Bingley had brought his sister with him? Darcy did not see Mrs. Hurst but she would not have left her husband. Perhaps he had misunderstood Mr. Gardiner. Maybe it was wishful thinking. He could almost imagine Bingley had left his sister at Pemberley as a final punishment for Darcy. He marveled at the contrast between her and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. It had been a trail to keep his patience even for a short conversation with Miss Bingley while, even after all the time he had spent these last few days in Miss Bennet's company he wished for nothing so much as to have her with him now.

At last Colonel Fitzwilliam returned to confirm that everyone was back and to tell Darcy that it was too dark to do anything more tonight.

"If you wish," said he, "We can reconstitute the search party in the morning but I do not think it practical. By now Wickham's men will have many hours lead and we do not know which direction they might have taken. We got lucky in finding Wickham because he was still searching for _you_."

"You are probably right, but I hate to give up on finding his men if only because they might be intimidated into telling us something of Mr. Wickham's partner. It is he I am most interested in catching."

The Colonel frowned, "Even so, I think it might be better for me to proceed on my own and make inquires in the surrounding area to see if anyone has seen men matching your description. I can also question Wickham about his partner."

"I will join you. We can cover twice as much ground together."

"What does Mr. Grant say?"

Darcy grimaced, "That I should not exert myself for a few days, but this task would not be too much for me."

"Darcy I know it is hard on you to stay out of the action but, just this once, let me take care of you. At least stay at home and rest tomorrow and perhaps you can join me the next day if you are feeling up to it. I really think it is for the best, you do not look well."

"Very well, I will give you money to make your inquires easier."

"Yes that will help. Money makes everything easier."

There was a bitterness to his tone that surprised Darcy and he asked, "Fitzwilliam, is something wrong?"

"No, not at all, I did not mean to speak so sharply. I am only tired."

"Are you sure? I hope you know I would glad to help if there is anything amiss."

"Truly there is no need for concern but I thank you."

"And I you, I appreciate all you are doing to apprehend these criminals, more than I can express."

After this Darcy returned to his study to write out bank notes for the villagers and servants who had joined the search. The last to come in was a man Darcy recognized as owning an Inn in Lambton but he did not recall his name and asked to be reminded of it as he readied his pen.

"It is Harry Cooper but that will not be necessary, Mr. Darcy."

"What do you mean?"

"There is no need to pay me. I was glad to help. I only came in to say I'm glad you caught the scoundrel, Sir."

Darcy looked up in surprise, "I thank you but you ought to get the same as the others."

"Please, like I said I was glad to help. I'd have been ruined if not for your discharging Mr. Wickham's debts. I had just started the Inn and he owed a large sum. I am more careful now but... Well, I am grateful is all I'm saying and when I heard he had caused you more trouble I wanted to help."

Darcy was about to protest again that the man should be paid but he remembered what Miss Bennet had said regarding Benjamin Hyatt and checked himself saying instead, "It would give me pleasure to pay you all the same, but if you are resolved than all I can give you is my sincere gratitude, I thank you."

This seemed to please him and Darcy silently resolved to make a point of patronizing his Inn. It now occurred to him that more of his servants had participated in the search than had come in to be paid. He had been clear that, this being unrelated to their duties, they would be paid the same as the others. Perhaps it was an oversight and they had merely been distracted by other duties. He would have to talk to Barrow about it tomorrow. To allow Benjamin Hyatt and Harry Cooper to escape compensation was distressing enough, from his own servants it would be absurd!

After this Darcy found his sister and guests gathered in the drawling room, still discussing the events of the day. He thanked the gentlemen again for their help, apologized for neglecting his duties as a host, and bid them all good night. He was too tired to do more.

Darcy fell asleep the moment he got into bed. Several hours later he woke up suddenly sure that he had heard someone calling his name. He could just make out the sound of someone crying. He got up, lit a candle, and put on his dressing gown. The sound seemed to be coming from the room adjacent to his. But that could not be. No one would be in that room. After his mother died his father had not wanted the room closed and had given orders that it be kept aired and dusted as if it were still in use. When his father died and Darcy had moved into the Master bedroom he had not changed his father's orders and the Mistress's room continued to be kept in readiness but never used.

Darcy made his way to the adjoining door and stood listening. The sound was definitely coming from that room. Who could be in there? Surely no servants would be cleaning at this time of night. He placed his hand on the doorknob then hesitated. If one of his guests had somehow mistakenly been placed in there he did not want to walk in on her. But if that had happened he certainly would have heard sounds from the room before now. Maybe it was almost morning and a servant was in there crying after all or…could it be his sister? Would Georgiana seek refuge in her mother's room and if so what could have upset her? He needed to find out what was going on!

Darcy opened the door, stepped into the room, and almost hurried out again just as quickly startled by the sight of a lady sleeping in the bed but then he heard his name again, "Mr. Darcy, _please_ wake up." It was Miss Bennet! He moved quickly to her side and placed his candle on the night stand. He was aware that he should not be here but she was crying in her sleep.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Miss Bennet." When this had no effect he gave her shoulder a gentle shake, "Miss Bennet you are dreaming." Still she did not respond. He tried again speaking louder, "Miss Bennet wake up."

She opened her eyes, "Mr. Darcy!" She reached out touching his face as if wanting to assure herself he was real.

"You were having a night mare…"

"Mr. Darcy I thought…" to his utter astonishment she threw her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder, her tears increasing. She clung to him like a frightened child.

Leaning over her in this way was very awkward and he was forced to change his position, sitting next to her on the bed and putting his arms around her. He stroked her hair saying, "Shhhhh, Elizabeth, all is well. You are home… or rather, you are at Pemberley. You are safe. It was only a dream…"

He continued in this manner, barely aware of what he said, until she calmed enough to say, "I was dreaming that our, escape, our journey had all been a dream. That you were still unconscious and I could not wake you."

"It was only a dream. I am well."

She let him go then and he released her but she took his hand, holding it tightly in one of her own, and with her other hand she touched his face again as if she were still unsure he was real. "I was so frightened. When they first put is in that cell and you would not wake up and there was nothing I could do for you but wipe your face and I did not know…" she broke into tears again.

He took her face in his hands wiping her tears with his thumbs. "It is all over now. I am well and we are both safe."

"How do I know this is not the dream?"

"It is not. I promise you that it is not."

"I am sorry. I am being foolish."

He removed his hands from her face and took hold of her hands, "No, not at all. I think I understand you. You are the sort of person who remains calm in a crisis and only reacts when it is over." She was breathing heavily and he tried not to notice the rise and fall of her breasts beneath the thin fabric of her night gown. He continued, "I am in awe of your bravery and your good sense. And I would wish…" He stopped; noticing that her expression was uncharacteristically vague and he could not be sure if it was the candlelight or if her eyes were glazed. Mr. Grant's draughts could be a little strong. It was possible she was not completely aware of what she was doing. It would not do to express his feelings _now_. He must do so properly and during the daytime.

"Miss Bennet you should try to go back to sleep now." She lie back down and he freed one of his hands to pull the cover over her. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead giving her hand one last squeeze, "Rest now."

"Wait." She grasped his hand more tightly, "Please do not leave me."

"I will not be far but I should not be in your bedroom and I am not sure you are fully aware of what you are asking. In the morning you are likely to regret that I was here at all. I can call someone to sit with you."

"No, please stay. I just need to feel you near me, to know that you are safe, and I will sleep easily."

"Very well, I will stay until you fall asleep."

He sat beside her until he was sure she was sleeping but when he attempted to leave she woke again, looking so frightened that he could not bear to risk waking her a second time. He sat next to her again, propping himself against the headboard in preparation for a longer stay. She curled up next to him, so that her head was almost in his lap, and he put an arm over her protectively. When she fell asleep he did not try to move away. He would need to wait longer and be sure she was sleeping soundly. He would just close his eyes for a few minutes…

The sound of a door closing woke Darcy up. It was morning and Mrs. Gardiner had entered the room, presumably to check on her niece. He would have jumped up instantly but he did not want to wake Miss Bennet and he slipped away from her as quickly but gently as possible saying softly, "Mrs. Gardiner this is not what it appears to be."

"It looks as if you have been comforting my niece."

"Ah… then, yes, that is what I was doing, but I… she was having nightmares. She was alone." He had not meant the last statement to sound accusatory. Her response had been so unexpected that it confused him.

"Yes, at her own request. She seems to be sleeping soundly now. I think you should leave her to me and get some rest yourself."

"Yes I, may I speak with you later?"

"Of course."

He bowed to her and quickly left the room.

~.~

As Mr. Darcy disappeared through the door Mrs. Gardiner caught a glimpse of what looked to be a bedroom on the other side. She could only think of one reason for Mr. Darcy to be entering a bedroom connected to Lizzy's. No wonder this room was so fine! But how had such a thing happened? Surely they did not normally put guests in here! She should not have left Lizzy alone in spite of her niece's insistence. After all Lizzy had been through Mrs. Gardiner was not surprised to learn she had been having nightmares. It was just like her to remain calm in a difficult situation and react later.

Perhaps they had this trait in common for she had responded calmly to finding Mr. Darcy in her niece's room but now that he was gone she sat down heavily reeling from the shock. Clearly their abduction had brought these two closer together than she had, had any reason to think them before but this would not do. Until now she had not wished to force a communication from her niece but under the circumstances she felt the couple must explain their situation as soon as possible and resolved to talk to Lizzy about it when she woke. She did not suspect Mr. Darcy of more than she had claimed. For it was clear from their positions that such was not the case but that would hardly have made a difference if anyone else had walked in on them and there was already the matter of their having been alone together so long. So far Mr. Darcy's guests did not _seem_ to suspect them of any misconduct but that could easily change if they behaved with too much familiarity toward each other _now_. Lizzy's room must, of course, be changed immediately, whatever right she might have to this one in the future.

As it turned out Mrs. Gardiner spoke to Mr. Darcy before she did her niece, for Lizzy was still sleeping soundly when she went down to breakfast and he asked to speak with her as soon as she had eaten.

"Mrs. Gardiner" he said when they were alone in his study, "I can offer you no excuse for what happened this morning. I can only assure you that I have the deepest respect for Miss Bennet and that I intend to ask her to marry me as soon as I have the opportunity of speaking to her."

"Mr. Darcy," she answered with some alarm, "Do you mean to say that there is no understanding between you and my niece? From what I saw this morning I thought there was."

"I can see why you would expect that to be the case." He paused thoughtfully before saying, "Perhaps I would have judged better to have spoken sooner but, last night I was not sure she was fully aware of what she was doing. I realize this puts my being with her in a worse light. I can only say that at the time it seemed the right thing to do."

"That accounts for your not having spoken last night but from what I understand you were alone together for an extended period before this. Was there no opportunity of speaking during your journey?"

"There were times I considered doing so but I thought it would be disagreeable for Miss Bennet to be stuck alone with me for an extended period of time after refusing my proposal, had she wished to refuse me."

"That was considerate but under the circumstances I would think there would be more danger of her being anxious you had _not_ spoken than risk of it being disagreeable afterward if you _did_."

"I…" Mr. Darcy actually blushed, and for the first time since they had started their conversation he failed to meet her eyes as he spoke, "I have reason to believe that not so long ago I was not someone from whom an offer of marriage was welcome to her. Perhaps this makes my motives suspect for I would have preferred to have time to show her… I would prefer not to speak to her at all without more reason to hope her feelings had changed than I currently… but that is of little matter. I deeply regret if my behavior has caused you or Miss Bennet any anxiety I can only hope to redeem myself as soon as possible by renewing… that is…by making her an offer."

He looked so miserable that she took pity on him, "Mr. Darcy my niece has not spoken to me of her feelings but, regardless of whatever influence she was under, I do not believe she would have allowed you to be her comforter without some good feelings toward you. Mr. Grant's draughts could not change her character."

Mr. Darcy did not reply but the change in his countenance showed clearly how welcome he found her opinion and the hope it had given him.

She spoke again, "Mr. Darcy your sister has invited Lizzy to stay for a longer visit and I believe she would like to accept but Mr. Gardiner needs to get back to his business and I would prefer to accompany him. If I leave my niece here will you give me your word that no misunderstanding of this sort will happen again?"

"You have my word and her room will be moved of course. I do not know how she came to be placed where she is."

"I have not spoken to my husband of what I saw and as long as I get a letter from my niece _very soon_ one way or the other, I see no reason to."

"That is most gracious. I thank you."

While the interview did not bring Mrs. Gardiner the happiness of finding they were already engaged she had derived enough satisfaction from it to allow Lizzy to stay at Pemberley without concern for her reputation. She had spent enough time with Mrs. Kitteridge and Mrs. Millforte to trust them as chaperones and of Mrs. Annesley's good sense and character she was even more convinced. Before they parted Mr. Darcy told her of the steps he had taken to preserve her niece's reputation if she did not choose to accept him and she told him that it would give her great pleasure to visit Pemberley again and find her niece in _rightful_ possession of that room. Mr. Darcy thanked her with a depth of sincerity that did not fail to surprise her even in light of their conversation.

* * *

AN: Obviously a mistake like that would not be made but I couldn't resist ;). Plus it allowed me to give them a scene together where they wouldn't have had one.


	8. tête-à-tête

_A/N: Special thanks to those reviewers who supported the way Mrs. Gardiner handled things. (_ _ _IMO_ a sensible person can tell the difference between someone who fell asleep after sex and someone who fell asleep sitting on the side of a bed, even in the regency era.) If there really is someone who is serious in hoping Darcy will ruin Lizzy and then abandon her to a life of prostitution I will save you some time: that is not going to happen here. For the rest of you, here is the next chapter:_

* * *

Elizabeth rose and dressed later than usual. She felt like she might be getting a cold but she knew the Gardiners needed to get back to London, and did not want to give them any reason to be concerned about leaving her, so she did not mention it. Once she was dressed Mrs. Reynolds came to her to apologize and explain the mix-up regarding her room. Since this was the first Elizabeth had heard of it she did not, at first, understand and when things became clear she exclaimed, "Was this Lady Anne's bedroom?" that certainly explained it's being so nice.

"I hope you do not blame Miss Darcy," said Mrs. Reynolds. "She only thought you would like it. I think it makes her sad to have this room empty and it _is_ the easiest dressing room to carry hot water to, but she never thought of the adjoining door and I should have thought of it myself but I did not. It has been so long since this room was used. No one knows you were placed here but a few of _us_ and we all know I have the only key to that door, of course Mr. Darcy would never open it regardless, but it does not look right if the other guests should realize, but none of them know you were in here. I do not think we would have realized it at all, expect Mr. Darcy heard voices in this room and asked me about it. I do apologize."All of this was delivered very quickly in an agitated tone of voice that was unlike Mrs. Reynolds and made it clear how much she regretted the error.

Adjoining door… Elizabeth glanced at the door in question. If this room properly belonged to the Mistress of Pemberley the door must connect to Mr. Darcy's bedroom! Had he been so close the whole time? She had dreamed of Mr. Darcy…

Quickly recalling herself Elizabeth answered Mrs. Reynolds, "But if _some_ of the servants knew of this last night surely the rest know by now and it will not take long before Mr. Darcy's other guests find out."

"I can assure you it has not spread among the servants. I do not allow idle gossip in any case and most of those who waited on you thought you were only using the dressing room. Mr. Darcy spoke to us all this morning and we all feel badly for not thinking of how it would look. If anyone _had_ thought of it they would have said something to me immediately at the time."

"Would the servants here feel so free to speak their minds if they wondered at Miss Darcy's room assignments?"

"Yes, we all love her dearly and would save her from making a mistake if we could. She does not have much practice at being a hostess. It was my responsibility to watch out for her."

"This speaks well of Miss Darcy. I will feel better when I can be sure no harm was done but I know she _meant_ well."

Mrs. Reynolds spoke of Miss Darcy's kindness and how like her brother she was in this regard, never a cross word, but Elizabeth was too struck by the idea that Mr. Darcy had only been separated from her by a door the whole night to pay much attention. She knew she _ought_ to be more concerned but there was something comforting in that knowing he had been so close.

Soon after this she said her goodbyes to the Gardiners. Mrs. Gardiner bid her promise to write and said in a serious tone that she would depend on hearing from her " _very soon_ ". Miss Darcy then invited her to join her and the other ladies in the saloon and, knowing that the servants would need time to move her things, Elizabeth agreed though she'd rather have returned to bed.

Elizabeth was greeted warmly by most of the ladies. In the cases of Mrs. Kitteridge and Mrs. Annesley, Elizabeth felt it to be genuine but with Mrs. Millforte and Miss Dixion she could not judge whether their kind expressions arose from sympathy for her plight or from Mr. Darcy's actions toward her and her friends when they were there for dinner. Miss Bingley said what was necessary for the sake of politeness and added, "It is a good thing after all, that you are so use to walking such distances, Miss Eliza."

Her tone carried a hint of malice but Elizabeth only smiled and thanked her for her concern. Mrs. Hurst was not present and Elizabeth had met Miss Bingley with some surprise but could not think why she had not expected her to be there. Had it been something her uncle said? She had been so tired at the time she could not remember.

They had not been sitting together long when Lord —, joined them and took a seat near Elizabeth. After sitting with them for about ten minutes he turned to her and said, "Miss Bennet, would you do me the honor of walking with me in the shrubbery? I will be leaving soon and I hoped we might get to know each other."

"Normally I would like nothing better but I have had enough walking to satisfy even my taste for it and I promised Mr. Grant I would rest my ankle."

For a moment his lordship looked surprised by her refusal but quickly controlled his expression saying, "Of course, how thoughtless of me. Would you care to join me for some air and we can sit in the shade?"

Elizabeth agreed to join him though she saw suspicions of the whole party were awakened by his request. Some of the ladies exchanged knowing looks and smiles but in no countenance was attentive curiosity so strongly marked as in Miss Bingley's who narrowed her eyes and frowned at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth would have gone to get her things but his Lordship insisted on sending a maid to fetch them. As soon as they were outdoors Lord — began questioning Elizabeth on a wide range of topics, from her family, (how many sisters she had, whether they were older or younger than herself, whether any of them were likely to be married, where they had been educated, what carriage her father kept, whether any of them played, or sang, or drew, what languages they spoke, and many other questions along the same lines) to what books she had read, her taste in music, and what places she had visited. Knowing the importance that was likely to be attached to this interview Elizabeth did her best to answer him with perfect composure but it was not without difficulty for whatever she said, he reacted to not at all, but merely asked her another question as if he were reading them from a list.

At last the temptation to elicit _some_ reaction from him became too strong and she said with the sweetest smile she could muster, "But I am afraid I am being tiresome in talking so much about myself. You wished for us to get to know each other and I do not believe I have learned a single thing about you."

From this she gained the dubious satisfaction of his frowning slightly as he asked, "What is it you would like to know?"

"Whatever about yourself you would most like to tell. I feel that is the best way of getting to know someone."

He spoke briefly of his family and of the sports he enjoyed then returned to questioning her and Elizabeth had not the courage to challenge him again.

~.~

Darcy's steward had arrived on business just as the Gardiners were taking their leave and Darcy did not feel he could put him off. As soon as their meeting was concluded he went in search of Miss Bennet. He was not pleased when some time later he found her in an out of the way spot under his uncle's scrutiny.

"Miss Bennet," he asked as he approached, "Should you be sitting outside? I thought you were meant to be resting."

She smiled, "We have only been sitting here in the shade and I believe the fresh air has done me good but if you gentlemen will excuse me I think I will return to my room now. I find I _am_ still very tired."

She did look pale and he knew, though he could not mention it, that she had not slept well, "Are you unwell? Mr. Grant will be here to check on me later but I can send for him sooner if you need him."

"No I thank you, I am well, perhaps my throat is a little scratchy but I believe if I rest now I can avoid becoming ill. Also, Mr. Grant left me some draughts already."

"You may want to use caution with those, Mr. Grant's draughts can be very strong."

"So I have discovered."

"I will walk you back to the house."

She glanced at the house, which was not far enough away to require an escort and smiled at him again, "That will not be necessary Mr. Darcy. I am sure your uncle will want to speak with you before he leaves." Then turning to the earl she curtsied and said, "Thank you for keeping me company your Lordship. If I do not see you before you go I wish you a pleasant journey. I will see you at dinner Mr. Darcy."

Once she was out of earshot Darcy did not bother to hide the irritation in his voice, "If you think that by monopolizing Miss Bennet's attention you can delay my proposal until I change my mind it will not work."

"I was only getting to know Miss Bennet. I thought that was what you wanted."

"Firing questions at her in rapid succession is hardly the way to get to know her and she is not fully recovered."

"I did her no harm. If she did not wish to sit with me she could have said so. I will say this for Miss Bennet she did not seem at all intimidated by my rank and kept her composure against my 'rapid succession' of questions. That is more than I can say for James' wife."

The earl was referring to his oldest son who had married a few years ago. His wife was the daughter of a viscount and had brought considerable property into the marriage, all of which pleased his lordship, but she was a quiet, timid, sort of person and the earl could not bring himself to like her."

Darcy's heart swelled with pride, "This does not surprise me."

"Yes, well, it is something but she is not an accomplished lady. Do you know she and her sisters were educated at home and did not even have a governess? From what I can gather they were left to learn or be idle as they saw fit."

That accounted for her being allowed to climb trees. "Does that not make it all the more commendable that she saw fit to learn as much as she has? Accomplishments can be gained but Miss Bennet's wit and liveliness of mind are rare indeed."

"She has no experience managing the servants let alone in a large house such as yours."

"She will learn. She is very intuitive and good with people. I am a better man already for having known her." Darcy repressed a smile as he thought that she also had some experience in the nursery he would not mention.

"I never thought to see _you_ so bewitched Darcy. If I had to guess I would have thought Charles the most likely to choose a wife imprudently."

"I continue to be of the opinion that if you get to know Miss Bennet, truly know her, you will no longer think my choice imprudent. Questioning her as you did you were unlikely to learn of her better qualities for she would not wish to brag of them."

"As there is no reasoning with you I may as well take my leave. I will expect your letter informing me of the terms under which I am to receive Miss Bennet."

"Are you leaving so soon?" He tried not to sound overly pleased.

"Yes, I expect all is in readiness by now. You do not need me here and I would like to get home. Charles will continue on as long as you need him. I will see to it that he is granted the necessary leave."

"I thank you. His efforts on my behalf have been invaluable."

The earl returned to the house to say goodbye to his niece keeping his expression steadily neutral until he was out of Darcy's sight.

Having lost the opportunity to speak with Miss Bennet before dinner Darcy decided to ascertain whether there was any more information to be had regarding the miniature. He called Barrow and Mrs. Reynolds, told them what little he knew and asked them to question any of the upstairs servants as to whether they had seen anyone with the miniature or in the area of that room or anything that might be at all useful no matter how unimportant it might seem. They promised to do so immediately and Darcy set to work questioning his guests. He explained to each of them that he thought the villains had been in possession of a miniature that had since been returned, asked them if they had noticed anything that might be of use, and carefully watched their reactions as he spoke of it. After several hours he had made no headway and neither Barrow nor Mrs. Reynolds had anything encouraging to report.

Tired, achy and vexed that he could do nothing useful toward forwarding his suit with Miss Bennet, apprehending the criminals, or discovering the identity of Mr. Wickham's partner, Darcy decided to follow Miss Bennet's example and get some rest. His throat felt a little scratchy as well. By the time Mr. Grant arrived to check on him Darcy was running a low fever and ordered to stay in bed. He could almost imagine the fates were conspiring against him but he followed Mr. Grant's orders.

~.~

Elizabeth left Mr. Darcy to hear whatever report his uncle wished to give of her. She was satisfied she had done all in her power to make a favorable impression but was unable to discern any hint of his Lordship's opinion. At least he had not asked her any questions about her room, from which she concluded he did not know she had been in Lady Anne's room. She did not leave Mr. Darcy without some regret but she was too tired to face anything more today. She found Mrs. Reynolds, was taken to her new room, and fell asleep as soon as she got into bed.

Elizabeth woke to the sound of someone entering her room. Without opening her eyes she said, "I will get up in a moment."

Someone sat next to her and placed cool fingertips on her temples.

"That is nice. You remind me of my sister. I owe her a letter. I should have written her today."

"Dearest Lizzy, there is no need."

Elizabeth's eyes popped open, "JANE!" It seemed impossible but she must believe her eyes and her most beloved sister was here!

The tears and fond embraces were exactly as one would imagine and for a time they were so caught up in the joy of being together that many questions were asked and much was said in reply but not enough was heard for either of them to gain new information. Finally Elizabeth said with a laugh, "This will not do you must tell me how you came to be here and I will listen and then you may question me. Your coming is of all things most wonderful! I have wished for you a great deal but did not think it possible.

"It was Mr. Bingley's doing. As soon as word reached Pemberley of your abduction he set out to bring us the news traveling with such haste that he spent only one night on the road and came to us late the following evening. He brought Mrs. Hurst with him for the purpose of bringing me here for, he said, he knew I would want to be on the scene and that you would need me to comfort you once you were returned. Oh, Lizzy if anything had happened to you…" she broke into tears as she spoke and the sisters embraced again until she had recovered enough to continue her story. We left very early in the morning for our return trip. Mr. Bingley insisted on it even though he must have been tired from his journey."

"And how did Mrs. Hurst like leaving so early?"

"I am afraid it put her out of spirits but it is thanks to her, serving as chaperone, I was able to come so I am sincerely grateful."

"Oh, Jane how you must have worried, I am sorry to have put you through it. You would have been long gone by the time my uncle's express arrived with news that I was well."

"By a fortunate coincidence we met the Gardiners on the road today and learned all they could tell us, so I was spared a few hours of worry at least, but I was no less eager to be here for knowing you were well. Mr. Bingley said and did all he could to make me comfortable on the journey but it was an impossible task."

"How kind of Mr. Bingley to bring you to me, it is just like him to think of it."

Jane spoke at length of Mr. Bingley's kindness and compassion toward an indifferent acquaintance.

" _Indifferent_ do you call it? Jane consider how much inconvenience he has borne for you!"

"What he did for _us_ is no more than he would do for anyone. He is so considerate of others he thinks nothing of his own convenience when it comes to being of use. He has such a kindhearted and open nature; it is why we were mistaken before."

"Oh, Jane…" It seemed incredible to her that her sister could persist in thinking Mr. Bingley indifferent under such circumstances but she made no more attempt to disabuse her of these notions. Any counter arguments she might make would be better presented by Mr. Bingley himself and Elizabeth had no doubt of his doing so soon. She could easily see how their journey must have been, Jane's worries for her sister arousing his sympathy, the sweetness of her disposition in bearing her fears without complaint arousing his admiration, and finally their shared joy and the smiles he would have received when they learned Elizabeth was well. All this was exactly calculated to make him as much in love with Jane as ever.

Jane now reminded Elizabeth that it was _her_ turn to talk of what had happened to her and Elizabeth obliged her in describing the adventure, though even to her dearest sister she did not reveal _all_ that had passed between herself and Mr. Darcy while they shared a cell.

They continued talking until Elizabeth remarked that it must be time to dress for dinner Jane said, "Lizzy, Miss Darcy heard that you had gone back to bed and offered to send us trays if you do not wish to go down to dinner."

Elizabeth hesitated, "I do not like to keep you from Mr. Bingley."

"Lizzy! You must know after so much worry how happy I would be to have you to myself."

This was all the persuasion Elizabeth needed and perhaps her motives might be suspect for she was not entirely eager to learn what influence the earl's opinion of her might have had on Mr. Darcy. But, she _was_ still very tired and to avoid a large party and enjoy Jane's affection alone was a temptation she could not resist. She agreed to the plan and they spoke of Miss Darcy's kindness, her graciousness in receiving Jane so unexpectedly and how her extreme shyness made her kind attentions all the more admirable for the difficulty they must cause her.

When it was time for tea Elizabeth insisted on being left alone to rest and sent her sister down to join the others. She would have preferred Jane to stay but it would not do to keep her sister from Mr. Bingley the entire evening. She lay back closing her eyes and imagined how it would be. Mr. Bingley would introduce Jane to the other guests and then grow inattentive to all of them and remain wholly engrossed by her the rest of the evening. Elizabeth drifted off to these happy reflections and did not wake until Jane came in again at bed time.

~.~

Elizabeth woke early the next morning feeling much improved. Only to learn Mr. Darcy was in bed with a fever and had been since before dinner the previous day.

In bed with a fever! But what was being done for him? When had Mr. Grant last seen him and what did he have to say? And why had the vexing man not taken better care of himself when they first returned? Most vexing of all was Elizabeth's irrational conviction that _she_ ought to be caring for him, giving him what comfort she could and seeing his condition first hand. She could not seem to reason the idea away, regardless of how unreasonable she knew it to be. The only thing within her power was to ask after him and even that must not be done too often.

Elizabeth had been sitting with the ladies and one or two of the gentlemen when Mr. Bingley joined them to propose their all walking out together. Several members of the party, including Jane, agreed to join him and Elizabeth used the opportunity to slip off alone to the gallery where she could stare at Mr. Darcy's portrait and wonder at her own feelings. She respected him, she esteemed him, she was grateful to him, and even above this she felt a great deal of tenderness toward him, she felt a real interest in his welfare and was eager to hear of any change in his condition. In addition to all this she was truly anxious in wondering what sort of impression she had made on his uncle and how much his uncle's opinion of her might influence him. She looked back on all that had passed between them over the last few days and questioned the meaning of all Mr. Darcy had said and done. So many things now struck her as possibly having a deeper meaning and yet they could mean nothing at all. She questioned how her own behavior, which had seemed so practical at the time, might strike him after further consideration. How much more weight might impropriety of her behavior carry now that they were out of danger?

Perhaps her anxiety to know Mr. Darcy's feelings ought to have given her some insight into her own but she could not settle the question to her satisfaction. It was natural after such a harrowing experience that she should be concerned for him. Would her newfound tenderness continue now that they were no longer so dependent on each other? It had only been nine days since she her tour of Pemberley and her chance encounter with Mr. Darcy. Could her feelings toward him really change so much in such a short time? But they had spent so much time together during their captivity and escape, more than many courting couples might spend together over a month's acquaintance. Did she not know him better after these last days than she might have come to know him over many more hours spent together in polite society? Perhaps most puzzling of all was that she remained absolutely convinced that he _would_ offer to marry her if her reputation were in danger. Surely for her to believe this she must think very highly of his character. The more Elizabeth questioned and argued with herself the less likely it seemed that any resolution might be reached.

She was still pondering these things several hours later when Jane sought her out to embrace her and acknowledge with the liveliest emotion that she was the happiest creature in the world. "As we were walking," said she, "we fell behind the others and I took the opportunity to thank Bingley again for his kindness in bringing me to you, and he said… oh Lizzy… he said he would do anything for me! And then he told me that he loves me, that when he went to town last November, he really loved me, and nothing but a persuasion of _my_ being indifferent had prevented his coming down again."

Elizabeth's congratulations were given with a sincerity, a warmth, a delight, which words could but poorly express. Every sentence of kindness was a fresh source of happiness to Jane and they talked for some time for there was much to be said of Bingley's modesty and other fine qualities, of his not knowing Jane had been in town and the likely interference of his sisters. Elizabeth smiled at the rapidity and ease with which an affair was finally settled, that had given them so many previous months of suspense and vexation. "And this," thought she, "is the end of all his friend's anxious circumspection, of all his sister's falsehood and contrivance, the happiest, wisest, most reasonable end! And Bingley managed it entirely alone without advice or permission from anyone." She was pleased to find that Bingley had not betrayed Mr. Darcy's interference; for, though Jane had the most generous and forgiving heart in the world, Elizabeth knew it was a circumstance which must prejudice her against him.

~.~

Colonel Fitzwilliam was back with them for dinner and took a seat next to Elizabeth. He told her of the efforts he had made that day to find any information about the men Wickham had hired but he had not met with any success.

"Tomorrow," he said quietly so that Miss Darcy, who was sitting nearby, would not hear, "I will question Mr. Wickham; I did not have time today."

Elizabeth thought he looked worried and haggard and cautioned him not to overextend himself, "You must take care Colonel Fitzwilliam or you will become ill as well and then where will we be."

He smiled, "There is nothing wrong with me that a good night's sleep will not cure Miss Bennet. I am only too happy to be of use to my cousin."

In her anxiety to know more of Mr. Darcy's condition Elizabeth had several unwitting allies for one or another of his guests were sure to ask after him at every opportunity and, though the information was often the same, Elizabeth could not hear of him often enough. Miss Bingley was particularly diligent, in asking after him and expressing her concern, but it was Elizabeth that Miss Darcy chose to sit next to later in the evening and quietly give the news that her brother's fever had broken, that he was feeling better and expected to be out of bed tomorrow.

Elizabeth told her how glad she was to hear of her brother's recovery and Miss Darcy added, "Mrs. Annesley is ill as well. We were to visit some of my brother's tenants this morning but she had the most dreadful headache and when last I checked on her she had a sore throat as well."

"Is it safe for you to make such a visit when only… that is, when not all those who meant to kidnap you have been apprehended?"

"Oh yes, my brother was to send several footmen with us, and they are not likely to be so bold as to try something again on our own estate, especially with…" she took a deep breath as if facing a difficult task before saying, "with Mr. Wickham already captured."

"In that case, if you would like, I would be happy to accompany you if Mrs. Annesley is not up to it."

Miss Darcy gave her a shy smile, "If you do not mind, that would be very kind. There is one tenant my brother particularly wished me to visit and I do not like to put it off too long."

"Shall we go tomorrow?"

"If you are sure you feel up to it."

"I am sure." In truth Elizabeth had a great curiosity to meet some of Mr. Darcy's tenant's and hear what they might say of him.

~.~

Jane and Bingley had not yet shared their joy with anyone accepting Elizabeth but the sisters spoke of it again at bedtime when they were alone in their room.

"Oh! Lizzy," Jane sighed as she got into bed, "To have you safe and well and to know that Mr. Bingley loves me is everything I could wish for. How shall I bear so much happiness? If I could but see _you_ as happy! If there _were_ but such another man for you!"

"If you were to give me forty such men, I never could be so happy as you. Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your happiness. No, no, let me shift for myself." With that Elizabeth closed her eyes, wondering if a very different sort of man, might make her even happier than Jane could be.

* * *

 _A/N: If I seemed to be stalling keeping Darcy and Lizzy apart it was because I needed to give Jane and Bingley time to get there, (traveling at the same speed that Lizzy and the Gardiners when they return home in the original). I wanted to bring their story back in before going further with Darcy and Lizzy. Also, it was nice to give Bingley a chance to do something heroic for Jane. :) Sorry these later chapters seem to be going slower._

 _Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who reviewed constructively._


	9. Meet the Tenants and

Darcy woke the next morning determined that today nothing would stop him from making his wishes known to Miss Bennet. He would not let an hour pass without asking to speak to her. As he approached the breakfast room he heard Miss Bingley saying, "…You never cease to amaze me Miss Eliza, that you would take such a risk yourself, after what happened, is surprising enough but I never would have imagined you would encourage Miss Darcy to put herself in danger."

"Mr. Darcy must not feel there is any danger or he would not have asked his sister to go."

As she finished these words Darcy entered the room to find Georgiana having breakfast with the Miss Bennets and the Bingleys. All four greeted him with smiles, asked after his health and expressed their delight at his feeling better. Did he imagine that Miss Elizabeth Bennet seemed particularly pleased, or that her smile lasted longer than the others? It had been an intolerably long time since he had seen her last.

He met Bingley and the elder Miss Bennet with sincere happiness, and apologized for not being available to greet them when they first arrived, for he had been told of their coming. After going to the sideboard and getting his breakfast he addressed himself to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. "I believe when I entered you were saying something about my sister's safety?"

"Miss Darcy mentioned to me last night that she and Mrs. Annesley had planned to visit some of the tenants but that Mrs. Annesley has taken ill. I offered to take her place and we were just discussing going after breakfast. Miss Bingley has been, most kindly, expressing her concern for our safety, Miss Darcy's in particular." As she said all this she favored him with an arch smile that made his heart skip a beat.

This was an acceptable intelligence indeed. Nothing would better please him than for Miss Elizabeth Bennet to spend time with his sister and that she would wish to visit his tenants was particularly gratifying. He addressed himself to her saying, "That is very kind. Are you certain you do not mind being separated from your sister so soon after her arrival?"

Her sister answered before she could, "Mr. Darcy I would not want Lizzy and Miss Darcy to put off their plans on my account. Lizzy and I have had a great deal of time together already and I was not even invited to be here."

"You could not be more welcome if you had been. Your arrival must have been a great comfort to Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I am sure my sister would have wished to invite you had Bingley mentioned his plans."

Bingley smiled sheepishly, "I took off in such a hurry I am afraid I did not explain myself very clearly. Louisa barley understood and I took her with me."

"You did well to act quickly," said Darcy, "but a few more minutes to explain yourself would have given Miss Elizabeth Bennet the pleasure of expecting her sister's arrival."

Bingley apologized to Miss Elizabeth Bennet for depriving her of such a pleasure and she answered, "No apology is necessary and by my word I do not think the pleasure was any less for not having been anticipated. You did me a great favor in bringing my sister to me and if I could be so bold as to ask another service of you, would you keep her entertained while I am out?"

Bingley expressed his very great pleasure in being of use to Miss Elizabeth Bennet and the two exchanged a smile that made Darcy wonder if Bingley and her sister were already engaged. Had Bingley managed in four days what he had not accomplished in ten? For the first time he envied Bingley the power of acting quickly but then, Bingley had more reason to expect a favorable answer. While Darcy was sure Miss Elizabeth Bennet no longer viewed him with the disgust she had expressed last April, wishing to marry him was a long way from no longer hating him and he had been wrong before…

But she was speaking to him, "Then the only question, Mr. Darcy, is whether you can assure Miss Bingley of your sister's safety. Unless of course you have come to think differently of the matter yourself in which case I will free Mr. Bingley of his obligation."

If anyone else had said such a thing he would have answered shortly that neither he nor his sister were answerable to Miss Bingley but the way her eyes danced as she spoke made it, not only impossible to take offence, but difficult to repress a smile.

He addressed Miss Bingley with grave solemnity saying, "It was my intention to send four of my footmen with the ladies. Will this satisfy you or shall I arrange for more?"

With a withering look at _one_ of the ladies in question, Miss Bingley explained that she had not known Mr. Darcy had been conversant with the plan and if Miss Eliza had spoken sooner of _his_ involvement she would, of course, have had no cause for concern for she knew he took prodigious care of his sister and would never put her in harm's way. Furthermore, she would have been _more_ than glad to offer to go with Miss Darcy herself if she had known.

"That is very kind of you," was his reply when she gave him a moment to do so, "but perhaps another time. I fear that three of you might be overwhelming for them and my sister has already engaged Miss Bennet for today's visit."

Happily the rest of his party arrived at breakfast and must be told that yes, he was feeling much improved this morning, and thanked for their concern before the conversation turned to other topics. Soon after this the letters were delivered, one to Colonel Fitzwilliam and several to Mr. Hurst who, looked at them quickly, frowned, and put them in his pocket giving a quick shake of his head in response to Mrs. Hurst's raised eyebrow. The Colonel however, opened his letter and began reading it at the table as if he had forgotten they were all there, his expression darkening as he read, then he suddenly seemed to recall himself for he quickly folded the letter and put it away.

He was seated close enough for Darcy to lean forward and say quietly, "Is something wrong?"

The Colonel answered in the negative and, soon after, excused himself and left the room.

When breakfast was over Darcy escorted the ladies to the carriage saying to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, "I particularly asked my sister to visit a family called the Drews because they are behind on their rent."

"Does your sister collect your rents for you Mr. Darcy?"

Trying to ignore how much he wanted to kiss her when she smiled in that way he replied, "It is unlike them fall behind, I fear something may be wrong but neither I nor my steward have been able to discover anything. I thought a lady might learn something we did not. If you notice anything will you let me know?"

"Of course."

"I thank you." Then wanting to make sure he did not lose another chance to speak with her he asked the ladies to come see him as soon as they returned.

After they were gone he called Barrow to him and asked to be kept informed if any of his guests went out while his sister and her guest were gone. It would be better not to take any chances.

"Certainly Sir, I believe Colonel Fitzwilliam plans to go into Lambton today."

"Oh yes, Colonel Fitzwilliam is on business for me, and there is no reason to keep track of Miss Bennet or Mr. Bingley, but if anyone _else_ goes out please let me know." If Bingley was looking for time alone with Miss Bennet Darcy did not want to set spies on him and these two were above suspicion.

~.~

Elizabeth and Miss Darcy had been sitting with Mrs. Drew and her children for about twenty minutes when her husband entered smelling strongly of ale. Elizabeth thought she detected a slight limp but he quickly corrected it on seeing they had company and she thought she might have imagined it.

One of the children ran forward shouting, "Papa!" and flung her arms around her father's waist. Mr. Drew caught his breath and if Elizabeth was not mistaken turned a little pale. Mrs. Drew quickly stood and took the child from her husband saying, "Gentle now, why don't you show Miss Darcy your doll?" Mr. Drew excused himself and left the room.

While Miss Darcy was busy with the children Elizabeth said softly to Mrs. Drew, "Is your husband in much pain?"

"He had a fall recently."

"Has Mr. Grant seen him?"

"Oh, no, we could not… that is, he is sure he will be well in a day or two. Please do not trouble yourself about it, Miss."

Seeing that it distressed her to speak of it Elizabeth asked no more questions. She had probably learned enough to bring back to Mr. Darcy. She wondered how her father handled it when a tenant fell behind in their rent. He never spoke of his tenants and had certainly never sent her mother or one of his daughters to see if anything was amiss with one of them. But she might be doing him a disservice, perhaps no situation like this had ever come up or he had handled it quietly on his own if it had. Somehow it made her sad to think of him doing so.

When they left the Drew's Elizabeth asked Miss Darcy if they might visit the Hyatt's, explaining Benjamin Hyatt's kindness in giving her and Mr. Darcy a ride as the reason, and Miss Darcy was happy to oblige her. The Hyatt's farm was large and well tended and Mrs. Hyatt greeted them warmly. When introductions had been made Elizabeth said, "I met your husband a few days ago when he gave Mr. Darcy and me a ride. I am very much obliged to him."

"I am sure he was happy to do it. Do you know Mr. Darcy sent the blanket you borrowed back that very day along with a thank you note? It was so very thoughtful of him, and after everything the two of you had been through, I am surprised he gave a borrowed blanket another thought but, that is so like him, are you recovered from your ordeal? Benjamin said you looked exhausted."

"I am quite recovered thank you."

"And you are staying at Pemberley? How do you like it?"

"I am and I like it very much. The grounds are delightful and," with a smile for Miss Darcy, "I have enjoyed the hospitality immensely."

"Of course you are probably used to big houses, I was scared to death when we stayed at Pemberley."

Elizabeth thought she must have misheard, "You… excuse me, did you say you stayed at Pemberley?"

"Yes, about five years ago we had a fire, it was the middle of the night and the children were small. Mr. Darcy brought us to Pemberley for the night and kept us a few days until we could make other arrangements while our house was rebuilt. Of course we kept to our own rooms but I felt so out of _place_ there and there was the time our William wandered away, just a toddler he was and I thought I would get lost myself looking for him, I almost despaired but then Mr. Darcy came along with William on his shoulders and, well I wouldn't swear to it mind you, but I think he had been galloping and singing to the child, but if he was he stopped when he saw me and I may be wrong. William loved it however; he did not want me to take him away."

"I find your story astonishing. I do not think there are many Landlords who would do so much."

"He did this much and more besides, he is the best landlord, imagine if we had settled somewhere else, goodness knows what would have become of us."

Elizabeth silently agreed and they talked of other things until the visit was over. When they were in the carriage she asked, "Miss Darcy, did you know your brother had done all this for the Hyatts?"

"I did not. I would have been away at school when it happened and he would not have told me. He never mentions it when he does nice things."

"Does he usually get personally involved when his tenants have problems?"

"I believe he does."

After this they visited a few more tenants and Elizabeth had to exert herself to be attentive to them. Her mind kept returning to what she had learned from Mrs. Hyatt. She pictured Mr. Darcy with a child on his shoulders and gradually realized she was picturing a little boy who looked very much like Mr. Darcy and had her eyes. This image acquainted her with her feelings in a way all her deliberations had not. She wanted very much for it to come true. When she looked back over the last several days she could not distinguish between when she had loved Mr. Darcy and when she had not. But it was not necessary to know precisely when she had fallen in love with him to know she _did_ love him and to hope that he would not keep her in suspense of _his_ feelings for very long.

~.~

Feeling he had been sadly neglectful of his guests Darcy joined some of the gentleman fishing at the river. This activity had the advantage of being close enough that he could return to the house quickly and he left orders to send for him when his sister and her companion returned. When Darcy saw a footman approaching he thought they were back sooner than expected and his stomach tightened in anticipation of the interview but it turned out to be a request from Colonel Fitzwilliam to meet him in his study.

Darcy went hastily to his study and found his cousin waiting for him wearing a dour expression.

"What have you learned?"

"I met with Wickham this morning. After hearing what he had to say I revisited the cell where he kept you. I found these." With that he produced a lady's hat and a pair of gentlemen's gloves which Darcy recognized as his own.

"If there is some significance to your finding these things I fail to comprehend it."

"Do you deny that the gloves are yours and the hat Miss Bennet's?"

"Certainly not, but what of it? Under the circumstances we can hardly be blamed for leaving a few things behind."

"It seems odd that Miss Bennet would leave her hat in your cell, if she was only there long enough to let you out."

"What are you implying?"

"Mr. Wickham tells a different story of the time you spent in his custody. He claims he has things to reveal that would ruin Miss Bennet's reputation."

"Do you believe him?"

"Are you asking me not to?"

"I am _asking_ you to believe in the virtue and integrity of the woman I love!" He had spoken more sharply than he intended.

For a moment they stared at each other and then a slow grin spread across the Colonel's face, "Well then, if you love her why did you not say so? That certainly simplifies things."

"Forgive me," Darcy answered him dryly, "I thought it more appropriate explain my feelings to Miss Bennet before I explained them to you."

"Do you mean to say you have not spoken to her yet?"

"Yes."

"What are you waiting for?"

"For her to return from visiting tenants with Georgiana."

"You know very well that is not what I meant. Why have you not spoken to her already?"

"I have not been able to find five minutes when it would have been appropriate to speak with her since we returned."

His cousin looked at him like he had taken leave of his senses, "And before you returned?"

It was one thing to account for his not speaking to Mrs. Gardiner but he did not owe his cousin an explanation, "I had reason for not speaking sooner."

"Undoubtedly but it does leave her more vulnerable to whatever Mr. Wickham may say."

When Darcy did not reply he said with some exasperation, "I am trying to help you Darcy. Wickham has threatened to reveal everything if he stands trial at the assizes. Is there any foundation for his threats?"

Darcy sighed, "After Miss Bennet set me free, I was so grateful that I forgot myself and behaved indiscreetly. Mr. Wickham was actually wise to what she was doing and had followed her. He caught me kissing her. This combined with his having kept us in the same cell overnight could easily give people the impression more happened between us then a kiss. I will deny it of course but if she does not wish to marry me it will be harder to keep the rumor from spreading."

"Of course it would not be polite to _expect_ a favorable answer but you speak as if you are truly unsure."

"I am."

"But she let you kiss her."

"I think I took her by surprise, she did not push me away but neither did she return my embrace. Later, when I apologized, she was quick to change the subject. She did show a great deal of concern for my wellbeing but under the circumstances anyone might…" Darcy trailed off noticing how thoughtfully his cousin was studying him.

"I never thought to see _you_ in doubt of lady's affections."

"There is no use our discussing it. I will talk to Miss Bennet when she returns. If she accepts my offer Mr. Wickham will not have as much leverage. If she does not… I am torn, I would do anything to protect her reputation but I was lenient before in order to protect Georgiana and look what it has wrought. I do not wish him to be free to hurt someone else."

"I have a friend, a Colonel, who will soon be taking up a post in the East Indies. I know giving Wickham a commission after all he has done, goes against the grain, but my friend is not the sort to let the men under his command get into any trouble. You would be rid of him and such an option might convince Wickham to reveal the name of his partner. He hinted that he would do so if there were some advantage in it. I do not think we are likely to discover him on our own unless we are very lucky."

"I am reluctant to make Mr. Wickham someone else's problem but it is possible his partner is the more dangerous."

"There is no reason Wickham should be _your_ problem, you are not his keeper."

Darcy sighed, "I will consider it. Once I talk to Elizabeth I can better decide how to proceed."

"Darcy there is one thing I do not understand. If Wickham caught Miss Bennet letting you out how did you get away from him?"

Darcy tried to tell his cousin the story as succinctly as possible but the Colonel was highly amused that Miss Bennet and climbed out the window and down a tree and pressed him for further details saying, "I hope she does accept you Darcy if only to give me the pleasure of telling your children their mother is half monkey."

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself."

"Honestly Darcy, I hope she does accept you, she would be good for you."

"You may be the only one in your family who feels that way."

"My father ought to think more of his younger sons and let you leave the women of fortune for those of us who need them."

"And that, my dear cousin, is the last hint of your being unhappy I am prepared accept. Tell me what is wrong."

The Colonel raised an eyebrow but Darcy sensed that he would welcome the chance to unburden himself and simply waited. Finally the Colonel said, "I met someone, a Miss Stanhope."

"Can you not afford to marry her on your income?"

"It is not really the case that I can _not_ afford it, but it would mean giving up some of my habits of expense, she has ten thousand pounds."

"Surely your father will do something for you when you marry and I…"

His cousin held up a hand to forestall him, "It is one thing to accept your hospitality and travel at your expense but more I cannot accept from you, as I said it is not really a matter of _needing_ money. As to my father, I am not sure he will be happy with the connection. Her family is genteel and her brother owns a modest estate but they are not part of the fashionable world and do not have any connections he will consider advantageous."

"This may be a good time to talk to him, he is less than pleased with my choice and her not having connections in trade may appear more advantageous by comparison."

The Colonel brightened momentarily, "That is true but…" frowning again he continued, "…there is also the matter of her family, her brother thinks me mercenary."

"Mercenary! For a mere ten thousand pounds?"

"What one man considers competence another considers wealth. But I may have given that impression. I have on more than one occasion mentioned that I cannot marry without _some_ attention to money."

"That is unfortunate but does Miss Stanhope share her brother's opinion?"

"I do not believe so. I have good reason to hope she will accept me if I make her an offer."

"Then you ought to be able to convince him of your sincerity. Your willingness forgo some of your pleasures for her ought to be in your favor."

"He finds me very extravagant and, from what I hear through a mutual friend, fears I would resent her for it later."

"Do you think that a possibility?"

"By my word I do not. I sometimes feel it unfair that, were it not for the order of my birth I would not _need_ to economize, but I could never resent Miss Stanhope."

"Then you need to convince her brother of this. I would like to believe it is possible to live down the things we once said and now wish we had not. I wish you well."

"And I you, once Miss Bennet accepts you will you allow me to take the news to my father? If I can gain his approval it may help me with the brother."

" _If_ she accepts me, I promised your father I would write, but you may bring him my letter so that you are on hand when he reads it."

Soon after this Barrow came in to tell Darcy his sister and Miss Bennet had returned and Colonel Fitzwilliam excused himself. Now that he considered his own chances of success might be linked, in some small way to Darcy's, he was anxious for Darcy to get on with making his proposal.

~.~

Mr. Darcy asked the ladies about their visit to the Drew's and Miss Darcy told him timidly that Mr. Drew had been home at a time of day when one would expect him to be working and that she thought he had been drinking.

"That is unlike Mr. Drew." He answered gravely and Elizabeth was surprised he would know his tenant well enough to say this.

"I think he is in a great deal of pain," said Elizabeth, "though he tried to hide it from us. Mrs. Drew told me he had a fall recently. He may be drinking to dull the pain."

Mr. Darcy frowned, "He ought to have told me this."

"Perhaps his pride got in his way."

"You may be right do you know when this happened?"

"She only said that it was recent and that he had not seen Mr. Grant, I did not feel I could press her for more details having just met her."

"Of course, I am grateful to you for learning as much as you did, I will send Mr. Grant to him."

"She did not say so but I got the impression they could not afford him."

"I will take care of it."

Of course he would. She could not resist saying, "You are a most attentive Landlord. We also visited the Hyatt's"

He raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps I should have expected that. I must ask you both not to repeat anything Mrs. Hyatt said of me."

His sister agreed immediately and Elizabeth said, "She spoke highly of you."

"In front of my sister and her guest she would be unlikely to speak otherwise. I would still prefer that you not repeat it."

"If you do not wish it repeated I will not speak of it outside this room, but why you are anxious to keep secret what paints you in such a favorable light I cannot imagine."

He stared at her for a moment without responding then thanked them for visiting the Drews in a way that sounded like a dismissal but when they both rose to leave he said, "Miss Bennet, may I speak to you a little longer?"

Elizabeth gave her consent wondering if he was angry that she had been satisfying her curiosity by visiting Mrs. Hyatt but the look he turned on her when Miss Darcy had left the room was not one of anger. It was a look that made her simultaneously hopeful, nervous, and embarrassed and, though she no longer wondered if he were angry she asked him if he were for the sake of having something to say.

"No, I am not angry." He replied, "But she must have told you of the fire?" Elizabeth nodded and he continued, "I feel I acted foolishly. I know they did not feel easy staying here. It was just after my father died and I did not know what to do with them. It was the middle of the night and it was cold and they had small children."

"I do not think it was foolish at all. I think you showed extraordinary kindness."

"If you think so, I will not attempt to disabuse you of the notion." He spoke quietly but there was something in his voice that made it impossible for her to reply and barely possible to breath.

"Miss Bennet, I had hoped, on our accidental meeting, to show you that your reproofs had been attended to, and that given time, you might come to…think differently of me. I would not speak of these matters so soon expect that the unfortunate circumstance of our being abducted and spending so much time alone together makes it necessary to tell you that my affections and wishes have not changed. If your feelings are still what they were last April I will do everything possible to protect your reputation. My uncle has already agreed to receive you in town and to be seen with you in public. The —'s influence will go a long way and I know other influential people…but if there is any chance of your coming to… to love me…"

He had stood and walked to the window as he'd been speaking. Elizabeth moved quickly to join him. She lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek with the tips of her fingers, "Fitzwilliam."

Their eyes met. Elizabeth continued, "It was very kind of you to take steps to protect my reputation but the effort was unnecessary, my… my feelings are so very different than they were, there was so much I did not know, so much I believed that I should not have and so much I …the time we spent together, I …I cannot seem to find the words…please speak no more of such arrangements, you have said your affections and wishes have not changed and I am pleased, I am grateful, it is on this topic I would have you speak. I would, I would, be glad to hear whatever you might say."

An expression of heartfelt delight diffused over his face and Elizabeth had only a moment to see how it became him before he took her in his arms and expressed himself as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do. He told her of feelings which, in proving of what importance she was to him, made his affection every moment more valuable until words became inadequate and it was necessary for him to put his lips to better use. This time his kiss did not surprise her and Elizabeth showed no hesitation in returning it.

* * *

 _A/N: Ruff week – sorry each chapter seems to take a little longer than the last to get done. Next up:_ The Partner _then probably one more chapter to wrap things up unless things take longer than I expect. As usual, thanks for reading and many thanks to those who reviewed._


	10. The Partner

_A/N: for the record: I can't take credit for the proposal I only took what JA wrote and tweaked it a little to fit the situation._

* * *

There was much to be talked of: what Elizabeth's feelings were after reading his letter and how deeply she regretted her accusations; how Darcy's initial anger had given way and he had come to feel the justice of what she had said and sought to improve himself; how surprised Elizabeth had been by the change in him and her delight in meeting his sister; how her tenderness toward him and his admiration of her had grown during their captivity and escape; their happiness for Jane and Bingley and their anticipation of that couples happiness though it could not be equal to their own, were all subjects to be discussed.

Darcy was sorry to recall that they must also speak of Mr. Wickham. He repeated what Colonel Fitzwilliam had told him and added, "I do not like to risk him speaking in a public trial but my failure to expose him before has led to his falling into even greater depravity. I never would have thought him capable of abducing us."

"You take too much on yourself. You are not to blame for Mr. Wickham's actions."

When he did not answer she took his hand and continued, "Fitzwilliam, you must do what you think is right. Whatever he may say of us, we can face it together."

Her words filled him with a warmth that momentarily distracted him. When he recalled himself he said, "I need to go see him" and moved as if he would put his words to action immediately.

"Must you go now? You have barely recovered from your fever."

"It will not do me any harm. I will go now… or rather…" he returned to her side and reached up to brush a stray hair from her face, took her in his arms, and kissed her on her forehead, her nose and finally her lips, "I will go soon…"

It was some time before he was free to speak again at which point he said, "Elizabeth even though I have not yet spoken to your father I would like to announce our engagement to my guests."

"Under the circumstances I think that is a good idea."

"And you must, that is, I hope you will write to Mrs. Gardiner immediately."

"I will gladly write to her, but why the urgency?"

"She… has reason to be concerned… I… I do not know how much you recall of our first night back, but I… fell asleep in your room. Mrs. Gardiner came in to check on you in the morning and I was still there. She responded with admirable good sense but we should not keep her in suspense for long."

"You were in my room?"

"Ah, then you do not remember."

"I…" she looked thoughtful, "Vaguely but I thought it was a dream."

"No."

"Oh…" she touched her cheeks as if trying to cover her sudden blush, "I begged you to stay. That was very…I should not have put you in that position. I cannot imagine what you must have thought of me."

"Do not make yourself uneasy. If I thought of anything beyond comforting you, it was to be pleased with your concern, and of how brave you had been. How could I think less of you for asking such a small thing after all you did for me, feeding me and… everything?"

Noticing that her eyes dropped and her change of expression when he alluded to what she had done for him in the cell and not wishing to embarrass her further he quickly added, "If anyone is to culpable it is I for entering your room in the first place. Do you blame me for being there?"

"How could I when you came only to comfort me? But, Mrs. Reynolds told me that door was locked and that she has the only key."

"She is mistaken. I hope you will not judge her too harshly. It is the first mistake I ever remember her making, though it is a large one. I can only account for it by thinking both she and my sister felt the rightness of your being in that room, though it was premature."

"I would be glad to think I had earned their approval. Perhaps if I had not been so tired I would have questioned it myself. It did seem remarkably fine for a guest room," with a mischievous smile she added, "I thought perhaps you kept it in case the queen should visit."

"Certainly not, when the queen visits we open the royal wing, of course."

For a moment Elizabeth looked stunned and he tried to keep his expression neutral but he must have betrayed something for her eyes danced as she laughed, "Fitzwilliam, you are learning to tease! I am delighted!"

With her laughter and her delight to sustain him he set out to meet Mr. Wickham, feeling he was equal to anything.

~.~

As Darcy followed the constable to the cell where Mr. Wickham was kept he heard voices raised in anger.

"…then you will have to be convincing! If you do not convince Darcy to drop the charges I will confess that you are the one who planned the whole thing! I have it on good authority he is very interested to learn your identity."

"You are and your men are the ones who let them escape!"

"If you had done a better job of identifying Miss Darcy everything would have gone smoothly. She would not have been…"

At this point the door was open and the conversation stopped. Darcy wished he could feel surprise at the man he found talking with Mr. Wickham. He had not wanted to believe it was him. They had been friends since school. It was he who had first introduced Darcy to Bingley. Darcy spoke coldly, "Mr. Hurst."

He turned pale, "Darcy!"

Darcy turned to his cousin, who had accompanied him, "Please take _Mr_. Hurst back to Pemberley and detain him there until I return."

Mr. Hurst sputtered, "Darcy I…"

"We will speak later." Darcy answered him sharply, "and you will no longer address me as if we are friends."

Mr. Hurst cringed at this but said no more and went away with the Colonel.

Darcy turned to Mr. Wickham, pleased he had been lucky enough to deprive him of a bargaining chip. Mr. Wickham must have come to the same realization for there was a tone of desperation in his voice when he said, "It was all his idea Darcy!"

"That hardly excuses you for participating."

"I got in over my head. I was _desperate_."

"No doubt."

"You are a man without pity but," his expression became more cunning, "perhaps you have not spoken to you cousin."

"I have but you are not in possession of all the facts. Long before you abducted us I asked Miss Bennet to marry me and she has accepted."

"No… you would not have proposed to her. She has nothing to temp you…"

Darcy remained quiet. While what he had said was misleading it was not, strictly speaking, untrue and he knew her having come to Pemberley with her aunt and uncle would add to the impression.

"It is not true!"

"Believe what you will." Darcy turned as if to go.

"Wait! Even if you _are_ engaged you would not want her reputation soiled."

"Anything you say I will deny. Who do you think people will believe? I do not even need to accuse you of abducting us. It is enough that you stole my horses."

"The men I hired did that! I did not order it."

"Then it is unfortunate for you they have not been found to collaborate your story."

Mr. Wickham turned pale and he said in a very different tone, "Just me then. You will not punish Mr. Hurst. Do you wish me to hang Darcy?"

"It is not what I wish but I can see no alternative. If I do not press charges there is no way of knowing what your conduct will be in the future."

Wickham mumbled something in which the words "your father" were all Darcy could distinguish.

"My father would be deeply disappointed that you turned out to be so unworthy of his regard."

Darcy had not thought Mr. Wickham could manage to look any more dejected than he already did but he sat down heavily, his shoulders slumped and put his face in his hands.

Darcy was at a loss. He had expected Mr. Wickham to be full of bravado and accusations. The man before him looked _broken_ and the truth was, as much as Darcy hated Mr. Wickham, he did not actually want to see him hang, nor did he feel hard labor was an acceptable alternative, as it would only be likely to kill him more slowly. He wanted Mr. Wickham out of his life and he wanted to be sure that, by being rid of him he wasn't causing trouble for someone else. But he did not want to be responsible for his death.

He stood for some time at argument with himself before saying, "Colonel Fitzwilliam mentioned a post in the East Indies."

Wickham looked up at him, "I could get a new start."

"But would you put it to good use or would I simply be providing you with a new group of people to deceive?"

"People change Darcy. _I_ can _change_."

"I will think about it." With that Darcy knocked on the door to be let out.

The door was opened and just before he exited Wickham said quietly, "Whatever you think of me, I did love your father."

Darcy did not turn around, for fear of Mr. Wickham seeing the impact of his words, and said in a carefully controlled voice, "Then you ought to seek to be the man he thought you were."

~.~

 _My Dear Aunt,_

 _I write to give you news which, if it gives you half as much happiness to read as it does me to write, will make you very happy indeed. I am the happiest creature in the world! This will be one of the last times you hear from Elizabeth Bennet for I will soon be sighing my name, Elizabeth Darcy. My father has not yet been applied to for his consent, so please keep this between yourself and my uncle until he has, but we wanted to give_ you _the earliest intelligence of our news and thank you for responding with such ration and reason to a certain situation which I will not set in ink. I trust that you understand me. I thank you again and again for you must know I could never be so happy if I had not been left to determine my own feelings. I assure you of what you must already know that Mr. Darcy has behaved in a most gentlemanly manner and treated me with the utmost respect._

Here Elizabeth paused wondering if Mrs. Gardiner would feel the same if she knew _all_ that had passed between herself and Mr. Darcy during their ordeal. It had been easy, a short while ago to speak bravely of facing whatever Mr. Wickham might say of them, but considering it now she could not deny it caused her some apprehension. If people knew how long they had been alone in the cell and that Mr. Darcy's hands had been chained behind him would they wonder how certain practical matters had been attended to? Elizabeth had not allowed herself to think of one particular matter. It brought up an odd mix of embarrassment, tenderness toward Fitzwilliam, and another feeling she could not define, a feeling which was both enticing and a little scary.

Determining not to let her happiness be marred by what might or might not come to pass in the future she set these thoughts aside and returned to her letter.

~.~

Having sent his cousin back with Mr. Hurst in his own conveyance Darcy hired a hack chaise to return him to Pemberley and endured the discomfort of an inferior ride along with the discomfort of his thoughts. He wished, on his return, that he could seek Elizabeth out to sooth him but it was necessary that he speak with Mr. Hurst.

He entered the room where his cousin was keeping Mr. Hurst, sat down across from him and said, "Why?"

"I have debts Dar.. Mr. Darcy. I was desperate."

"Why did you not come to me? I would have helped you."

"I could not do that."

"But _abducting_ us was perfectly fine with you?"

"I did not expect… that is…"

"…to get caught?"

Mr. Hurst did not reply and Darcy realized how little he wanted to hear whatever excuse he might make if he did. But Mr. Wickham was right about one thing, he was not going to put Mr. Hurst on trial.

Darcy spoke again, "You will leave Pemberley as soon as you can pack. If you ever try to take advantage of another again, and I will make it my business to know if you do, I will ruin you."

"I will not have the opportunity to try anything like this again. Mr. Wickham's hatred of you made him a willing ally and willing to do most of the work."

"If the only thing stopping you is lack of opportunity and laziness it is hardly in your favor. You are not the man I thought you were Mr. Hurst."

With that Darcy left the room unable to bear to be in Mr. Hurst's presence any longer. Granted they had not been close friends, which was even more the case since Mr. Hurst had married, but they _had_ been friends. Darcy expected betrayal from Mr. Wickham but not from one of his own set. He could only be grateful that neither had known Elizabeth's importance to him. If they had abducted her and left him free to pay the ransom he would have paid whatever they asked without delay.

Checking his watch he realized that it was too late to seek out Elizabeth before dinner and he ought to dress soon himself. He needed to collect himself before making his announcement. The thought of the announcement cheered him considerably as he retired to his dressing room and sat with a glass of port considering what he would say. He had not been sitting long when there was a knock at his door and Bingley entered looking distraught.

"Darcy!" he exclaimed, "I only just heard! I did not know! I never would have…I would have stopped him or warned you!"

Darcy bid Bingley sit and handed over his glass of port saying, "Calm yourself, Bingley. I never suspected otherwise."

Bingley took a large gulp and quickly continued, "Louisa swears to me she knew nothing about it and I believe her."

"I am glad to hear it." Darcy was not equally convinced but there was no reason to say so.

Bingley took a deep breath, "I will not throw her over Darcy, no matter how horrified I am but what my brother has done. I will not disown my sister. If that means the end of our friendship I am sorry."

Bingley was not one to keep his feelings hidden and Darcy could easily perceive what this declaration had cost him. He felt an almost paternal pride in his friend for standing up to him, though it was completely unnecessary for him to do so, "Of course it does not mean the end of our friendship. All I ask is that you do your best not to invite me and the Hursts at the same time. I am to be your brother too."

Bingley was noticeably relived, "Thank you Darcy I… my brother?"

"I hope I have not been presumptuous I understood from Elizabeth that her sister had accepted you."

"Yes but..." He could almost imagine that he could see the inner workings of Bingley's mind, "that would only… Are you to marry Lizzy?"

"Yes."

"You have made her an offer?"

"Yes."

"And she has accepted you?"

"Yes. I hope you do not object to the connection."

"Obj.. Darcy that is wonderful!" He jumped up from his chair to give Darcy a hearty handshake and slapped him on the back. "You could not have chosen better. She is just what you…" he suddenly turned sober, "You do care for her, do not you Darcy? This is not because of the time you spent alone?"

"I do care for her, but I may make you angry for we plan on being happier even then you and Jane."

They talked further, exchanging mutual congratulations and saying all the things that are normally said in these situations with true sincerity, until Wilkes came to see why Mr. Darcy had not rung for him and the two separated to dress for dinner.

Darcy dressed quickly and went to find his sister. He did not have much time to prepare her for his plans but her delight was such that no more than a brief explanation was needed.

~.~

Caroline Bingley was seething with anger at her brother-in-law. How could he do something so stupid? He had lost Mr. Darcy's good opinion! He had put the whole family in jeopardy! Selfish, foolish man! Thank goodness that Charles had somehow managed to stay in Mr. Darcy's good graces and the two of them were able to stay. It was _almost_ enough that she was willing to forgive her brother for returning with Jane Bennet, though she could not help but wonder if Louisa might not have gotten her husband under control if Charles had not taken her away at such a critical time. It did vex her to think Charles and Jane were now likely to marry, when he could have done so much better, but with Louisa going away and Mr. Darcy having unaccountably changed his opinion of the Miss Bennets she had no allies.

Caroline took a large bite of venison just as Mr. Darcy announced that, before they had been so rudely abducted he had asked Miss Bennet to marry him and, pending her father's approval, she had accepted him. It was a lucky bite because her efforts not to choke kept her from expressing her initial mortification and gave her time to notice the happy smiles on the faces of the other guests, indicating she had no partner in her displeasure, and to think on the advisability of retaining the right of visiting at Pemberley. She swallowed her resentment along with the meat and forced herself to smile saying, "I congratulate you and I think you must give _me_ some credit Mr. Darcy for you may recall I predicted many months ago that I would one day be wishing you joy."

Mr. Darcy merely raised his glass and thanked her before turning back to Miss Eliza. As the guests resumed their individual conversations she turned to Miss Darcy to ask about her visit to her brother's tenants, tell her how very much she admired her for going, express her dearest hope that Miss Darcy would play for them later, her ecstasies over Miss Darcy's most recent table design and say anything else she could think of to prove her excessive fondness for her dear friend.

Caroline could easily perceive that most of Mr. Darcy's guests were more than willing to believe the engagement had taken place before the abduction. His actions when Miss Bennet first arrived in the area had aroused many suspicions and if any wondered if the timing might be slightly different than what Mr. Darcy implied they were unlikely to admit to such an opinion, but _she_ would not be fooled. Surely if Mr. Darcy had made Miss Eliza an offer she would have taken Caroline into her confidence immediately as if she considered her a close friend. That's what Caroline would have done to warn off a rival. It did not occur to her that even if Miss Eliza were not above such tactics she had never considered Miss Bingley as her competitor.

It was necessary that Caroline appear cheerful and save her irritation for later when it might be taken out on a cushion. She was not too distraught to remember that Colonel Fitzwilliam was the son of an Earl; Mr. Gillingham the son of a Baron; Mr. Randal was reasonably good looking and had three thousand a year; and, while Mr. Dixion was not equal to the merits of the others, he listened very attentively whenever she played and sang, was likely to appreciate a pretty girl offering to mend his pen, had only one sister who was neither too clever nor too pretty to be a valuable connection, and —with a little encouragement— was likely to sit admiring _her_ letters, which would make for a refreshing change. With such an abundance of eligible gentleman she was even so generous as to leave Mr. Townshend to pay his attentions to Miss Dixion without interference.

~.~

After dinner Darcy and Bingley were not many minutes behind the ladies and Mr. Dixion and Mr. Kitteridge followed soon after them. Once the other gentlemen had joined them and tea had been served Darcy, after speaking quietly with his sister, surprised the whole party by suggesting they dance a reel. Bingley and Mr. Kitteridge declared they were always ready to dance and the other's had no objection.

When Darcy offered Elizabeth his hand saying, "Despise my taste if you will but I hope you will not refuse me." She accepted gladly and felt no more than a momentary reluctance when the dancing continued and he asked for her hand again saying, "No one here will mind how often we dance together."

The party seemed to bear him out for the Kitteridges, danced together almost exclusively, as did Bingley and Jane and —even when the Millfortes sat down to cards with Mr. Gillingham and Mr. Andrews— the single ladies were never without a partner. No one could think Mr. Darcy a neglectful host, for he danced with Miss Dixion while Elizabeth took a turn at the piano forte and with Miss Bingley when Colonel Fitzwilliam insisted on a turn with his future cousin.

As the party drifted off to bed Darcy said softly, "Elizabeth, may I speak to you a moment?"

She started, for she had not realized how close he was standing, and looked anxiously at the retreating figures of the rest of the party, feeling suddenly nervous to be alone with him.

As if he had guessed her thoughts he gave her a gentle smile saying, "Do not worry. I will not detain you long. But, there is much I would like to discuss with you and there is a garden I would like to show you if you are agreeable we can talk there tomorrow."

"Yes of course." It made no sense that she would feel any unease about being alone with him _now_. She told herself she was being silly.

"Also, now that we are engaged I hope you will accept this as a small token of my gratitude."

He handed her a small box, which she took automatically even though she felt her cheeks warm as she stammered, "Oh, that is very kind but you do not need to give me anything."

"I want to and, as you once told me, no one likes to feel a gift is unappreciated."

With the reminder of her own words Elizabeth did not feel she could refuse and opened the box to find a paper of pins. She almost laughed in relief, "Fitzwilliam, what made you think to give me pins?"

"You lost quite a few of them during our ordeal."

"That is very thoughtful, I thank you." She was truly touched.

"I would be glad to replace anything else that was lost or ruined, your gown for example." He said these words in the same tone of voice that he had used when speaking words of love and she was once again aware of how close he was standing.

"I thank you but no, please, I will be buying my wedding clothes soon enough."

"As you wish." He brushed the gentlest of kisses against her lips and though a moment ago she had been nervous about being alone with him she now wished she could think of a reason to stay with him longer. Shaking her head at her own foolishness she hurried off to her bedroom to convince Jane that her dislike of Mr. Darcy was entirely over and that she was sure she loved him as she should. If on her way to her own room she passed Miss Bingley's and heard muffled noises, as if someone were taking out her wrath on the cushions or screaming into her pillow, she hurried by without seeming to notice.

~.~

As they walked to the garden the next morning Elizabeth assured Fitzwilliam that she had written to her aunt.

"I am glad," said he, "that she will not be kept in further suspense. I like the Gardiners very much and I was particularly impressed with the way Mrs. Gardiner handled the situation we spoke of yesterday. She held me accountable without overreacting. I do not like to admit it but my uncle thought your family would use our being alone together during our escape to press me to marry you. I almost wish I could tell him how wrong your aunt proved him."

"Perhaps his attitude is not to be wondered at. One is always hearing stories of a couple, completely innocent of any wrong doing, that is forced to marry due to some unlikely mishap that has the _appearance_ of compromise. Of course one never meets with a person this has happened to but everyone knows of a friend of a friend whose union is due to such a circumstance."

"I tend to think such reports are exaggerated but one cannot be too careful. I never go into a library during a ball or large party for fear of being accidentally locked in with a lady."

"Libraries are particularly dangerous," said Elizabeth, "I wonder that they all came to be designed in such a way, for there is only ever one door and it is always so thick that no amount of yelling or pounding on it can be heard from the other side, if one tries to ring for a servant the bell is broken or all the servants are otherwise occupied and do not hear, also the widows do not open or overlook a sheer drop off the side of cliff. All this must be true or couples would not be trapped in them so easily."

"In addition to what you say, there is never any coal for a fire, and regardless of the season, the room grows dangerously cold so that the couple is forced to embrace for warmth as a matter of life and death."

This gave Elizabeth pause, remembering that they had, in fact, embraced for warmth, though it had not been a matter of life and death. Fitzwilliam might have been struck by the same thought for he suddenly looked embarrassed, and wanting to encourage his playful banter, she forced herself to reply with good humor, "Now that you are under my protection, Fitzwilliam, you need never fear to enter a library for they are only dangerous to single men. But, I hope you will not spend social occasions skulking in libraries."

"Indeed I will not." He answered in a more serious tone, "I have been practicing making myself more agreeable in company and, as the art of conversation comes so naturally to you, I hope you will help me."

Elizabeth had only time to say, "It shows." Before they came to the door of a walled garden and he unlocked it.

"Oh, Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth exclaimed upon entering, "It is wonderful!" She let go of his arm in order to skip forward along the path calling out her delight in everything she encountered, "look at your roses!"

"They will soon be our roses," He said with a smile as he caught up to her, "I am glad you like the it," and taking her hand he added, "but I must admit I see no wonder in this garden equal to seeing you in it." Lifting her hand he turned it and kissed the inside of her wrist just above her glove. It gave her a curious shiver. He pulled her closer and kissed her. The kiss grew more passionate and she felt her body responding in unexpected ways, she wrapped her arms around him, returning his embrace and pressed against him. Then suddenly remembering herself she stepped back, and with the deepest embarrassment turned away from him.

"Elizabeth, please forgive me, I got carried away. I meant no disrespect."

Hearing the tone of concern she forced herself to reply, "You did not offend me."

"Then what is wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Did I frighten you?"

"No, no, it was nothing you did, I only felt so… so strange. I do not know how to explain." She would not have admitted this much but she did not want him to blame himself.

"Elizabeth," He said softly, standing close but not touching her, "Did you feel as if you desired me?"

She nodded, her cheeks burning with shame.. She could not imagine what he must think of her.

"Elizabeth, these are feelings that would have arisen naturally once we were married. I think it must be because we spent so much time alone that you should feel this way now. There is no reason to be embarrassed."

"You are not displeased?"

"Have you ever felt this way before?"

"There was a moment or two during our journey when I felt something like it but not nearly as strongly."

"But never with another man?"

"No."

"Then it does not displease me… quite the contrary."

She finally turned and met his eyes. Until now Elizabeth had thought that the descriptions in novels, of a man's eyes burning with passion, were not something one would encounter in real life.

He gently touched her face, "It does, however, make it that much harder to wait for our wedding night." He took her hand, "I would marry you as soon as possible but it would look…"

"…as if we had reason to marry quickly."

"Yes, but I should talk to your father soon and I think that would be better done in person."

Elizabeth could not be comfortable at the thought of this interview, for while feeling reasonably convinced the Gardiners would be pleased for her she could not be sure how the rest of her family would react. She did not fear her father's opposition, but he was going to be made unhappy, and that it should be through her means, that _she_ , his favorite child, should be distressing him by her choice, should be filling him with fears and regrets in disposing of her, was a wretched reflection.

"I ought to go with you, my father will want to speak with me and I would like to apply to my mother myself." She could not determine how her mother would take it. But whether she were violently set against the match, or violently delighted with it, it was certain that her manner would be equally ill adapted to do credit to her sense.

"Very well, in that case I think Bingley will wish to return to Netherfield. He must also be anxious to speak with your father and only stayed because Jane is here with you. I will arrange for a chaperone. Will it suite you to leave on Monday?"

It took Elizabeth a moment to recall that today was Friday. Missing church while they were held captive had thrown her. Monday would be the soonest they could leave without traveling on a Sunday unless they left almost immediately and travelled as quickly as Jane and Bingley had which would not be practical. She agreed to Monday if the others found it convenient, but even thoughts of her how her parents would respond could not distract her for long from the way she had reacted to Fitzwilliam's kiss, "You are truly not displeased?"

"Elizabeth, I know your virtue is beyond reproach. As your husband, I hope to inspire feelings that other men do not. I have long desired you. For you to feel anything like this in return is gratifying indeed." He was still holding her hand in one of his own and with this free hand he had begun running his fingers slowly up the inside of her arm. She did not remember his having removed his gloves.

He suddenly dropped her hand and stepped back. "It also makes the temptation that much stronger. It might be better if we were not alone like this until I have spoken to your father."

"Did you want to talk with me about your meeting with Mr. Wickham?"

"Ah yes, well that reminder has certainly cooled my ardor it is safe for you to be alone with me now."

They sat on a bench and he told her of all that had transpired between himself and Mr. Wickham and Mr. Hurst. "I know it must seem," he said when he'd finished, "That I let Mr. Hurst off too easily but I could not bear to be the cause of his death and I do not think he will try anything like this again. I will make sure he does not. He will not have an easy time of it being left to his creditors."

"I understand. What are you inclined to do about Mr. Wickham?"

"I do not know."

"It sounds as if you wish to be merciful but are afraid to do the wrong thing."

"He has been a constant thorn in my side but he said something that struck me. Two things actually, one was that people change, that _he_ could change."

"Do you think he was sincere in wishing to?"

"I do. Weather his sincerity will last if he is no longer in fear for his life I cannot say but I have never seen him as he was yesterday. If there is any chance that he might redeem himself I would not like to keep him from doing so. Only I worry that if he reverts to his old ways he will hurt someone else."

"If you want my opinion I think it better to err on the side of giving him the chance to redeem himself. It is more easily reversed."

"That is true but I will still feel responsible if he hurts someone else. Mr. Hurst I can keep track of but in the East Indies Mr. Wickham will be outside my immediate influence."

"It might be best, for both your sakes, that he is. Fitzwilliam, you cannot hold yourself accountable for what Mr. Wickham might or might not do in the future. You can only make what seems the best decision right now with the information you have available. There is a type of improper pride in holding yourself responsible for everything."

For a moment he looked as if he would get angry but then he nodded, "You may be right. I need to think on this more. Thank you for your advice."

"Should I leave you alone?"

"Not yet." He drew her close and kissed her.

"Is it still safe for us to be alone?"

"No. You must not stay long, but let me hold you for a little while. When I think what could have happened to you…"

She removed her bonnet and put her head on his shoulder, "I know but I am well and the whole incident, I think, has brought us closer."

"When you put it in those terms I almost feel as if I should thank them." She laughed softly and they stayed like this, in companionable silence for some time. Then Elizabeth left him to his thoughts. As she left the garden she looked back at Fitzwilliam sitting beneath the roses that would soon be her own as well, and thought with pleasure that, in the years to come, they would often visit this garden together to find solace and speak of important matters. She thought of what Fitzwilliam had said earlier and had to agree. There was no wonder in this garden equal to finding herself in it.

* * *

 _AN: That kind of sounded like and ending but it's not. I still have a few things in mind for our dear couple in the next chapter so please keep reading. (Probably a chapter for events at Longbourn and then a brief one for wrap up- I got behind so I decided to post this without finishing first draft of the next.)_

 _I have to admit I had to go back to the first chapter and look up how many gentlemen I originally put at Pemberley now that I had reason to name them all instead of leaving them in the background fishing and joining search parties. It's hard to keep track of such a large party of friends!_

 _I know a lot of you already guessed it would be Hurst but he's not exactly a criminal mastermind so I'm ok with him having given himself away early on and it sounds like I may surprise a few of you. To try to keep it interesting I threw as much suspicion at Colonel Fitzwilliam as I could which is something I hadn't thought of doing until I heard from a reviewer who thought he might be the villain because I named him Charles. Actually I didn't name him Richard because JA seems to treat that name as a joke but when I realized that some think of him as Richard to the point that naming him something else seemed suspicious I decided to run with it. I gave Wickham a partner because he's such an obvious villain and he's not normally one for much planning. I choose Mr. Hurst because most of the time when he's around in the original he's just kind of there and we don't know much about him other than he's of "more fashion than fortune" and "_ _he was an indolent man, who lived only to eat, drink, and play at cards" which made him the ideal candidate to get into financial trouble and look for an "easy" way out. (Chatty author's note this time - now that I can finally talk about this ;))_


	11. Longbourn

Darcy engaged the widow of a clergyman to accompany them on their journey and act as chaperone. As he was planning the trip Elizabeth suddenly realized he was assuming she and Jane would have maids traveling with them and let him know this was not the case.

This surprised him, "You left your maids at Longbourn?"

"We did not leave them anywhere. Neither of us have our own maid."

Such a thing had never occurred to him and now he wondered if he had offended her with his assumption. It must have shown on his face for she laughed and said, "You need not fear that I have anything _against_ engaging one once I am Mrs. Darcy."

"I was not worried but it would be a good idea to put the word out now, at least with our friends here, that you are looking."

"Actually, I was thinking I would like to promote Rachel Baxter, she has been dressing me while I am here."

"Do you think her qualified? She seems a bit young."

"Not yet, but she is very eager to learn, she has been borrowing ladies' magazines whenever she can and learning from Miss Gale, Georgiana's maid, when she has time, just in the hope of having a chance to use these skills. She was pleased that I came without a maid."

"She told you all this?" It would not be good to have a lady's maid who was overly chatty.

"There was a small mishap with my hair (she took some bad advice from Miss Bingley's maid) and part of the story came out when she apologized. Also, I asked her some questions and I asked Mrs. Reynolds about her. I thought if everyone agrees she could be released from her other duties to train with Miss Gale full time until we marry. Do you object?"

"I have no objection —far be it from me to have _any_ opinion on your lady's maid—but, you will have to hire servants from time to time."

"I am not trying to avoid it the duty but Rachel knew of my being placed in the mistress's room and from what I can learn the story has not spread. I would like, above all, to have a maid I can trust to be discreet and as I said she is so eager to learn. Also, I like her and, aside from the one mishap, I think she's done well with my hair."

"I think you judge well." He was pleased with her reasoning. It showed just the kind of instincts about people he had been telling his uncle Elizabeth had.

~.~

The journey to Hertfordshire went smoothly and they arrived at Longbourn on Wednesday at a reasonable hour. Mr. Bennet was clearly happy to have his daughters home, Elizabeth especially, and Mrs. Bennet was full of praise and attention for Mr. Bingley. From her way of talking anyone would think Bingley had rescued Elizabeth rather than bringing her sister to her. Her reception of Darcy was markedly colder.

He and Bingley had agreed between them that Bingley would speak to Mr. Bennet first. They had both expected him to retreat to his Library but his pleasure at having Elizabeth home kept him with them until Bingley was forced to ask for a word and the two went off together. This left Darcy alone with all the ladies of the family except Lydia who was away.

Mrs. Bennet was clearly delighted to have Bingley seek a private audience with her husband. She spoke of him in the highest terms, punctuating her statements with smiles at Jane and winks at the others. She also spoke of Jane's beauty and seemed oblivious to the embarrassment of her two oldest daughters. Did the silly woman not care at all about Elizabeth's abduction? She asked no questions about it. Or, was she simply waiting to speak about it until they were alone?

Watching Elizabeth's embarrassment, the glances she stole at him before averting her eyes, caused Darcy some pangs of regret. It had been cruel to point out her family's defects when she must be so painfully aware of them already and some of his own family members were no better. He wished he could find some way of communicating to Elizabeth that there was no need to feel alarm on his account. If she could endure his uncle's impertinent questions with such dignity and grace as she had shown he would seek to follow her example. Though he did wish Bingley would hurry up!

Suddenly Darcy realized how long he had been sitting observing all this without speaking. He ought to say something and try to make himself more agreeable. What could he say? It was so much easier to be agreeable to the Gardiners…that was it. At his first opportunity of doing so he said, "Mrs. Bennet, I had the honor of meeting the Gardiners while they were in Derbyshire."

Mrs. Bennet looked at him as if he were something nasty she had stepped on and did not reply. He needed to say something else, "I…liked them very much."

He cringed inwardly. His statement did not do justification to his admiration of the Gardiners but Elizabeth gave him an encouraging smile and Mrs. Bennet looked a little surprised saying, "Well. I am surprised at them for leaving Lizzy there all alone. If not for Mr. Bingley she would have been stranded."

"Mama, I was not stranded. Miss Darcy invited me to stay, and I was well chaperoned. There were two married ladies in the party, with whom my aunt had become acquainted, in addition to Miss Darcy's companion."

Suddenly Mrs. Bennet's expression turned cunning, "Where there many ladies visiting?"

"There were more gentlemen than ladies," Jane answered, "Mr. Darcy's cousin and several of his friends." Elizabeth shot her sister a dark look and from Jane's expression she seemed to realize her mistake.

"You ought to have stayed longer Lizzy," said Mrs. Bennet, "I certainly could have spared you and Miss Darcy must have wondered at your leaving so soon once you were there. There was no reason for you to hurry home when you might have gotten better acquainted with so many…"

Luckily Bingley returned at this moment and distracted Mrs. Bennet by proclaiming himself the happiest of men. Darcy took advantage of the excitement that followed to slip away unnoticed by anyone but Elizabeth. He almost approached her to give her hand a quick squeeze before leaving the room but caught himself and made do with exchanging a significant look. He stopped outside the library and took a deep breath before knocking. He entered at Mr. Bennet's bidding.

Mr. Bennet had taken up a book and only looked up a moment to say, "Oh, it is you. Take whatever you want as long as you are quiet about it."

"Excuse me?"

"Take whatever book you want. I will have to go in soon but I am waiting for my wife's initial raptures to die down. You are welcome to stay in here and read."

Oh, of course, he thought Darcy wanted a book, he would not give away his daughter so causally, "Actually, sir, I was hoping to have a word with you about Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

"Ah," Mr. Bennet put down his book, his expression turning dark, "Sit down Mr. Darcy. You must think me a very inattentive parent."

Confused by this turn in the conversation Darcy did not know how to reply. He _did_ think Mr. Bennet inattentive but saying so was unlikely to recommend his suit and he didn't understand why this would come up now.

When he made no reply Mr. Bennet continued, "When Mr. Bingley arrived with news of Lizzy's abduction and offered to take Jane to Pemberley the following morning I had determined to follow them but I had business I needed to tend to first and, as Mr. Bingley already had a chaperone with him, I did not want to delay Jane. Before I could set out I received my brother-in-law's express. He said all was well and so I stayed home."

Feeling he ought to say something Darcy replied, "Of course. I understand the responsibilities of running an estate. We are not always free to fly about the country on a moment's notice as Bingley is, no matter how much we may wish to." He did wonder what sort of business could take priority over the abduction of his daughter but did not ask.

"I do have to wonder at my brother telling me all was well. He even advised me against coming."

"You would have been welcome to come but he was not wrong in saying all was well."

"Then something happened after the Gardiners left her? Mr. Darcy if you are here to tell me of my daughter's ruin please say so quickly and be done with it."

"Ruin? Certainly not! Mr. Bennet with all due respect you should know your daughter's character better than to think she would allow such a thing."

"I did not say she allowed it."

Darcy grasped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white and answered with carefully controlled anger, "Mr. Bennet, I am well aware that I did not behave agreeably when I was last here but I do not think I gave you cause to accuse me of anything so monstrous."

Mr. Bennet's mouth dropped open and it took him a moment to recover and reply, "I was not accusing _you_. I was speaking of her abductors. "

Suddenly Darcy saw the conversation in a new light. He sighed and said, "Mr. Bennet I can assure you nothing like that happened. Eliz… Miss Elizabeth Bennet was with me most of the time that we were held captive and for the brief time we were not together she was locked in a room alone. She assured me of this herself."

"I see. Well, I suppose that is better, at least she was with a man who has no interest in her."

Now Darcy was at a loss. If he corrected Mr. Bennet's impression he was likely to worry again. Finally he said, "Mr. Bennet I fear this conversation has gotten away from me. May I start over?"

"Please do."

"I am here to ask your permission to marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

Mr. Bennet stared at him as if dumfounded and Darcy was just about to ask if he was well when a look of comprehension dawned on his face, "You were alone with Elizabeth for a great deal of time then and people know this."

"Only you and my cousin know how much time we were alone, the others only know that Miss Bennet let me out of my cell and then we were walking most of the night."

"I see. I appreciate your wanting to do the honorable thing but I do not wish to see my daughter trapped in an unhappy marriage just for the sake of how things look."

That made very little sense but Darcy was determined not to let the conversation get away from him again, "I assure you. My love and admiration of your daughter predates our abduction by many months."

"But she only accepted you afterward?"

This time Darcy thought he understood the nature of the question, "That is true, but I had taken steps to protect her reputation should she wish to refuse me." He briefly outlined how this would have been achieved.

Mr. Bennet studied him carefully. "You wished to marry her and yet you did this?"

"Yes."

"You really do care about her happiness then."

"Yes."

"Well then, you have my consent. Please tell Lizzy I need to speak with her."

Darcy went away feeling greatly relieved. He had not expected Mr. Bennet to make things easy on him but he had also not expected to be so confused. At least this was the last time he would need to explain himself.

He returned to the others with a smile and let Elizabeth know her father wanted to see her. It was not easy to wait for Elizabeth's return but Darcy reminded himself again what she had endured from his uncle and did his best to be agreeable. Luckily not much was required of him beyond congratulating the happy couple and expressing his pleasure. He wondered how Mrs. Bennet would greet the news of her second daughter's betrothal.

This question was answered the next morning when he arrived to Mrs. Bennet's smiles but his pleasure evaporated when she told he had only just missed his aunt who was now out walking with Lizzy. He quickly made his excuses and went after them.

As Darcy approached the copse he heard his Aunt saying, "Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you! Is this your gratitude for my attentions to you last spring? Is nothing due to me on that score? Let me be rightly understood. This match, to which you have the presumption to aspire, can never take place. No, never. Mr. Darcy is engaged to _my daughter_. Now, what have you to say?"

"Lady Catherine!"

Both ladies started at the sound of his voice and for a moment they were united in looking equally guilty but then Elizabeth must have realized her own innocence and gave him a quick smile of greeting before saying, "Mr. Darcy, as you can see we had the honor of receiving your aunt early this morning. She has just been trying to persuade me to release you from our engagement." As she spoke Elizabeth lifted her chin and wore a determined expression he had come to recognize. Lady Catherine did not realize the sort of person she was dealing with.

"Elizabeth, whatever my aunt may say of me, I am not now nor have I ever been, engaged to Miss de Bourgh." He knew his aunt would be all the more infuriated that he had spoken to Elizabeth first but, considering her accusation, he did not care.

"I did not believe," said Elizabeth, "that you would have a made an offer to me if you were, I was just about to say as much when you arrived."

"Darcy!" cried Lady Catherine, "Have you forgotten what you owe to yourself and all your family? You know very well it was the dearest wish of your mother, as well as my own, that you marry Anne. While you were in your cradles, we planned the union: and now, at the moment when the wishes of both sisters would be accomplished, to be prevented by a young woman of inferior birth, of no importance in the world, and wholly unallied to the family!"

"That is _**enough**_!" Darcy took a deep breath forcing himself to speak more calmly, he said to Elizabeth, "Dearest, would you excuse us? I need to talk with Lady Catherine alone." Then, seeing that Elizabeth looked doubtful as whether she ought to acquiesce, he added, "Please."

"Very well." She made a quick curtsey to her ladyship and then turned and walked away, passing him closely enough to brush her hand against his as she went by. Even through the fabric of their gloves it was encouraging to feel her touch.

~.~

Elizabeth left them but she waited nearby for Fitzwilliam to emerge. When he did he looked so angry she was glad she had waited, "Shall we walk?"

He only nodded in reply and the two of them set out together. He walked quickly, taking long strides but Elizabeth kept up with him. After they had been walking some time and he looked a little calmer she said, "Fitzwilliam?"

He started as if he had forgotten she was there, "Elizabeth, I am sorry, I should not have kept you out like this."

"It is nothing; we have walked further than this. But, will you tell me what passed between you and Lady Catherine?"

"No."

She stopped walking stung by the abruptness of his reply, "Are we to have secrets already?"

He turned back to her his expression softening. "It is not a secret that she is very angry but her language was so abusive I do not wish to repeat it."

"Some of the things my father said to me last night made me very unhappy but they were not so different than what my own opinions once were. I trust that he will come to think differently just as I did."

"It was the same with my uncle but Lady Catherine's remarks went beyond that. We will not be speaking to her again. I have made it clear that all contact between us is now at an end."

"Fitzwilliam, I do not like to cause a breach between you and your aunt."

"You did not cause it."

"Even so…" She let her voice trail off realizing this was not the time to try to persuade him.

"Thank you for walking with me. I believe I have composed myself now."

"Shall we return to the house?"

"Do you mind staying out a little longer?"

"Not at all."

"Good." He drew her to stand beneath a large tree a little way off the path speaking in a very different tone of voice. "Before returning to your family I would like to improve my mood, so that I may behave agreeably toward them." He removed his gloves.

"I see," she answered with an arch smile, "and how is this improvement to be achieved?"

He stepped closer and reached up to untie and remove her bonnet. Just before their lips met he whispered, "I have a few ideas."

~.~

A few days later Darcy and Bingley arrived at Longbourn to find Jane and Elizabeth outside and were invited to walk with them. Always happy to have the ladies to themselves the gentlemen agreed immediately but there was something in their manner that made Darcy wonder if anything were amiss. He and Elizabeth quickly outpaced the others and he asked her if anything were wrong.

"Oh," she said, "Lydia has returned from Brighton declaring herself engaged to Mr. Denny but my father, while not outright refusing, has not given his approval. We thought to spare you some of the initial uproar."

"What is your opinion of Mr. Denny?"

"I do not know him well enough to form one. He is pleasant enough and I know no harm of him but he was only in the neighborhood a short time. His friendship with such a man as Mr. Wickham is against him but he may have been deceived, as so many of us were. It is an imprudent match on both sides. He has nothing but his salary in the militia and Lydia well; you know how things stand with my sisters and I." She blushed slightly as she alluded to it. Of course he had known about the entail and had not expected anything by way of a dowry but he had only learned yesterday that her father had saved nothing at all. Of course it made no difference to him but he resented for Elizabeth's sake that her father had not been more concerned for her future.

"If that is the only objection," he replied, "I can do something for them. I could get him a better commission in the regulars."

"Fitzwilliam, that is generous but I did not tell you this in order for you to fix it."

"I was not implying you had."

She looked thoughtful and he wondered if he had offended her. After a few minutes of silence she said, "My father may be right in withholding his approval. Lydia is… She is very young. It might be better to wait and see if her affection for Mr. Denny can stand the test of time before doing anything."

While agreeing with her about Lydia, Darcy thought there were better ways for Mr. Bennet to handle the situation than giving no answer but he kept this to himself and they walked on in silence. It was not the companionable silence they often fell into. Was Elizabeth angry at him? What could he have done? Or was she embarrassed by her family's circumstances? They walked for some time before he thought to ask, "Elizabeth, have I offended you in some way?"

She looked surprised by the question, "Oh, no, not at all I was only thinking. I had not really considered how much you were giving up in order to marry me."

"I will not pretend I do not understand you but…" he paused trying to think how to express what he wanted to say. "Elizabeth, do you remember the other night at Lucas Lodge when we were talking with Mr. Robinson and you asked him about the book he was reading?"

She looked confused, "Yes."

"Then you asked me if I had read anything by the same author and we got to talking about it. Even after you went away we continued to have an agreeable conversation because it was a topic we were both interested in."

"That is generally how conversation works."

"You think so because it comes to you so naturally. I have been practicing but still have not achieved your proficiency and the effort is usually exhausting."

"Is it really so difficult for you?"

"Yes."

"Then I am glad to have been of use but I do not see how it relates to the topic at hand."

"What I am trying to say is, I know this will sound arrogant but, if I had married a woman with a large fortune or noble connections she would only be bringing me more of what I already have. You have qualities that are to my benefit. With you at my side it is easier to be at my best. Your value to me is beyond compare."

She smiled at him and taking his hand she drew him off the path into a more secluded spot, stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Fitzwilliam. I had thought before that ours would be a marriage to our mutual advantage. I am glad you agree."

It was the first time she had been the one to kiss him and it pleased him for her to have done so without any hint of embarrassment almost as much as it pleased him that he had managed express what he wanted to say. He drew into his embrace. She was becoming bolder but he did not want to alarm her and cautioned himself not to press her too much.

She leaned her head against him, "Fitzwilliam, I wish you were not leaving tomorrow."

"As do I but I have sadly neglected my guests."

"I know."

Knowing that he would soon be losing Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet was not inclined to let her return to Pemberley to complete her visit. He may have also noticed that the couple tended to stand closer than was entirely proper and occasionally touched while talking without seeming to notice they had done so.

Darcy brought his lips to hers and at the thought of their impending separation the kiss quickly grew more passionate. Elizabeth moved against him in a way that enflamed his desire. He ought to stop this before things went too far. He would stop in a moment…she moved against him again, "Ahh…" they would be married soon what did it… no.

"Elizabeth" his voice sounded strained as he forced himself to say what was contrary to his inclination, "This is a most agreeable form of torture but if we do not stop I will be in danger of forgetting myself."

She stepped away from him and he was gratified to think it cost her some effort to do so. "Shall we return to the house?"

"Not yet I need time to recover."

~.~

The next day Darcy left for Pemberley to fulfill his duties as a host. The length of the letters he and Elizabeth exchanged during this period and how eagerly each of them looked forward to their receipt can easily be imagined. Whether Miss Bingley watched Mr. Darcy write his with the admiration for his correspondence she had once shown is less certain but Georgiana asked him to include her love and eagerly anticipated the day Elizabeth would return to Pemberley as her sister. The couple's separation was not a long one for Darcy's guests soon left for Scarborough and Darcy did not press them to stay longer. He departed for Hertfordshire within a few hours of their going away and if he did leave some necessary business undone he was quick to rectify the oversight as soon as it was brought to his attention.

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 _A/N: I was sick for a while and then things were kind of crazy and I lost some momentum. I hate it when that happens. I hope to get the final written in better time. Mr. Bennet really should have gone to Pemberley but to be honest I didn't give him much thought until a reviewer brought it up. If his excuse seems weak its because it's the best I could come up with after the fact. I'm not quite done with the villains yet, their fates will be revealed in the wrap-up._


	12. Wrap-up

_AN: FYI: This chapter is about 2,000 words it looks longer because I've included a sample chapter of about 2,700 words at the end. (I hope telling you that now avoids any disappointment or annoyance.)_

 _This chapter should have been a quick one to finish but somehow wasn't._

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Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day on which Mrs. Bennet got rid of her two most deserving daughters. The ladies had never looked more beautiful, the gentlemen had never looked happier, and all the other things that are said on such an occasion were said. Following the wedding breakfast the Darcys travelled to London, where they would spend a few days before proceeding to Pemberley, and Darcy was forced to concede that near and far are relative terms for, in his eagerness to be alone with his bride, the journey seemed unbearably long in spite of the good roads. Upon their arrival there was the staff to be introduced, the house to be shown, the unpacking to be supervised and hints of special foods that had been prepared for dinner and tea to welcome the new Mrs. Darcy. This was not agreeable news to Darcy who had thought to suggest they simply partake of some light refreshment and retire early but seeing that it pleased Elizabeth and knowing his cook would be disappointed if her offering were rejected he kept these thoughts to himself, though never been less inclined to please his servants or felt himself to be so much at their mercy.

Finally tea was over and he walked Elizabeth to her room. Just as they reached her door she turned to him saying, "Will you give me half an hour before you come to me?"

If she wanted to prepare in private it would be rude to object but he had imagined entering her room together and undressing her himself. He forced his disappointment aside and agreed. He had waited this long to be with her. What was another half hour? They would have many more nights together and his plan might be better put into effect at some later date when she was more comfortable with him. His own preparations went quickly; he only stripped down to his shirt and breeches before dismissing Wilkes. The very thought of Elizabeth only a doorway away, preparing for bed, enflamed his desire for her. Soon, he told himself, very soon. Finally the time she had asked for had passed and he knocked on her door, entering at her invitation. She rose to meet him, wearing only a night gown, and he was glad to see she had left her hair loose. He was so taken by her he had to remind himself to breath, "Elizabeth." He whispered her name almost as if it were a prayer and took her in his arms running his hands over the thin fabric of her night gown before leading her to the bed.

She sat down on the bed and he stood in front of her removing his shirt. Then he gestured to his breeches, "Would you mind undoing these for me?" He had often thought back to their time in the cell when she had performed a similar service for him.

Her cheeks reddened slightly but she complied with his request, "Oh! You are… _different_."

He smiled, "Yes, you have that effect on me."

He lowered her on to the bed kissing her gently at first but his kisses quickly grew more passionate. When he began to pull up her night gown and felt her tense he realized that she had been allowing his caresses but was not returning them. "Elizabeth? What is wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Am a rushing you?"

"No. I am ready."

He was growing desperate and wanted to believe her but he knew better and reminded himself to be patient, "I do not think you are. You have responded with more eagerness to my attentions on other occasions."

"I am only nervous. I suppose on other occasions I knew things would only go so far."

"I am not sure you ought to have depended on _that_. On several occasions it was very hard to stop."

"But you did."

"Yes. Try to relax Elizabeth. Turn over I will rub your back."

"I do not like to keep you waiting if you are …ready."

He smiled, "I have been ready for months."

His words gave Elizabeth a pleasant sort of shiver. Perhaps this explained his behavior after some of their encounters, his needing time to recover or cool off. To think of his being in this state so many times and yet never pressing her…

"How does this feel?"

Elizabeth set her thoughts aside and concentrated on the feel of his fingers against her back, "It feels wonderful, Fitzwilliam."

It did not take long for Elizabeth to relax and things progressed as one might expect. The intimacy they had built served them well and, while their performance was by no means capital, what they lacked in experience they made up for in their eagerness to please each other. If Elizabeth did not experience the raptures so often described for a first encounter of this kind, nor Darcy perform the task with all the skill and stamina of a Greek god, neither of them knew enough to be disappointed and, never neglecting to practice, it was not many weeks before they achieved true proficiency.

~.~

Miss Bingley had originally allowed Mr. Dixion's attentions more to gratify her own vanity than out of any affection for him but soon began to feel that it was a great deal more enjoyable to be pursued than to pursue and his good taste and admiration of her accomplishments spoke highly of his character. He also had the wisdom to make her an offer not long after her brother's marriage adding the inducement of once again being mistress of her home to his other qualities. As they were both fond of society and neither required much beyond superficial conversation and affection they easily believed themselves to be very happy together.

The Hursts were forced to retrench and moved to Cheapside where Mr. Hurst was plagued by his creditors and by the vociferous discontent of his wife. He had originally thought himself lucky that Darcy had not challenged him but soon came to understand what it meant to be beneath that Gentleman's contempt. There were not many in the fashionable world who would risk inviting the Hursts once it was known how little Mr. Darcy cared to be in his company and as word of the extent of Mr. Hurst's debts spread there were even fewer who were willing to play cards with him. The few friends he might have retained were soon put off by his complaints and disagreeable manner until soon only the Bingleys invited them to visit or admitted their presence in town. Even the Dixions did not feel obliged to extend more than a single dinner invitation though Mrs. Hurst did spend the occasional morning with her sister. Mr. Hurst suffered from gout and complaints of the stomach to the point that once his debts were finally paid off, and he could once again enjoy a few luxuries, he could no longer enjoy sport or digest a ragout.

Mr. Wickham spent the journey to the East Indies seasick and haunted by Darcy's last words to him, _"Then_ _you ought to seek to be the man he thought you were."_ He tried to nurse his old grievances against Darcy but, knowing that Darcy had refrained from putting him on trial, he found he no longer had the heart for it. By the time he had reached dry land he had determined to make the best of the chance he had been given. Here he had some assistance from the society in which he found himself. Whether his reputation had preceded him or he was now among a more worldly group he found the people here harder to charm and less likely to extend him credit. Forced to live on his income he found he was able to do so, even with a part of his wages being sent to a solicitor for the discharge of his debts before he ever saw it. He did not have an exemplary career but neither did he have a disgraceful one. He wrote Darcy one letter during this time period where he thanked Darcy for his kindness and almost came close to admitting he had been wrong. Whether he wrote this out of sincere motives or from the hope that Darcy might take an interest in his career was unclear. Darcy was glad to see some sign of improvement in him but had no desire to renew the acquaintance and the letter was not answered, nor did he ever receive another.

The men who Mr. Wickham had hired for the abduction where all but forgotten by the Darcys and their friends but their fate is now to be explained. Annoyed by Mr. Wickham's criticism they had been careless in their guard duties and had spent most of the night drinking and playing cards while their prisoners escaped. When they discovered the next morning that both the horses and prisoners were missing they saw no profit in staying longer and every reason to leave. They departed with all possible haste several hours before Mr. Wickham woke and eventually made their way to London where they were later arrested for petty theft.

While not entirely pleased with Colonel Fitzwilliam's choice of wife his father consented to the match and gifted the couple with a reasonable sum. It was less than the Colonel might have hoped but more than he expected and his love for his wife was such that he never regretted giving up some of his habits of expense.

Elizabeth soon came to understand that her new uncle was the sort of man who liked to appear more disagreeable than he really was and made great sport of trying to get him to smile. While he never admitted to liking her the Earl showed a clear preference for her company, even over the wives of his sons, and scolded her if he felt she was neglecting him. On one occasion when she was kept at home by a cold he plagued Darcy with questions about what was being done for her until Darcy observed that he was fooling no one with his pretence of indifference. To this the Earl made no reply but silently resolved that if she were not significantly improved by the next morning, he would send his own physician to her.

Lady Catherine was more of a challenge but at length, by Elizabeth's persuasion, Darcy was prevailed on to overlook her offence and seek a reconciliation. After a little farther resistance on the her part, his Aunt's resentment gave way, either to her affection for him or her curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself, and she condescended to wait on them at Pemberley, in spite of that pollution which its woods had received, not merely from the presence of such a mistress, but the visits of her uncle and aunt from the city.

Miss De Bourgh was more shocked by anything turning out differently than her mother had dictated than heartbroken over Mr. Darcy's marriage. She resolved never to exert herself to attract a man again but as she kept this reflection to herself no one considered that she had been exerting herself to please her cousin or noticed the difference when she stopped.

It was not many months before Lydia decided there was little fun in a long engagement and released Mr. Denny from his commitment. By this time he had come to regret making her the offer and was happy to be released. She occasionally visited Jane and Elizabeth but Kitty spent the majority of her time with them as she was not of so ungovernable a temper as Lydia and, even Jane had to admit, was materially improved by such superior society in a way that Lydia was not. Lydia eventually married a man in trade who had some ambitions of saving toward the day when he might purchase an estate but was not immune to Lydia's influence and was always persuaded to spend his entire income.

~.~

It was on a warm summer day during the first year of the Darcy's marriage when Elizabeth asked her husband to join her in their favorite garden, where they sat beneath the roses and she shared the happiest of news with him. As they discussed their hopes for their child Elizabeth said, "What I am most looking forward to is hearing you sing our child a lullaby and seeing him or her on your shoulders."

"I am looking forward those times our child escapes the governess and learns to climb trees."

"Even if it is a girl?"

"Especially if it is a girl. I have come to consider it of the utmost importance that a lady be able to climb a tree." Then with a smile he drew her into his embrace and they sat together in silence, sharing a happiness that was too deep for words.

 _Fin_

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 _A/N: Thank you for reading and thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed. Especially those who reviewed often – I really appreciate your encouragement. I have some shorts here which can be found by clicking on my name above. My Book_ Darcy Bites: Pride and Prejudice with Fangs _is available on Amazon by Amy Elizabeth Davis (unlike my offerings here it had a copyeditor and a proofreader). It is available in Kindle and Paperback. The Kindle Edition can be borrowed through Kindle Unlimited or Kindle Owners Lending Library. A sample Chapter from Darcy Bites follows a longer sample is available on Amazon._

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Sample Chapter from **  
Darcy Bites: Pride and Prejudice with Fangs**

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 **Chapter 3** **  
Prey**

Elizabeth was visiting again at Lucas Lodge a few days later and had been so caught up in her visit with Charlotte that she had forgotten the time and dusk was beginning to fall as she took her leave. Sir William had been quick to offer her the carriage and pressed her to take it, but she politely refused. It was only a short walk back to Longbourn and she was sure she would be well at home before it became truly dark. Elizabeth did not mention the greater reason for her refusal: she did not wish to alarm the horses. Horses were skittish when she was nearby and she had no wish to discover whether Sir William's driver was up to the challenge.

As Elizabeth walked, she experienced a peculiar feeling as if someone were following her. At first, she dismissed this as her imagination and merely increased her pace, but the sense of danger grew stronger until she could no longer ignore it. Someone—or something—was approaching, something _evil_. In vain did Elizabeth try to convince herself of the improbability. Logic and reason deserted her. Every instinct, every part of her being, clamored for her to _run_.

Disregarding modesty, Elizabeth lifted her skirt and ran as fast and as hard as she could. At first, she continued in the direction of Longbourn but she soon felt a second _evil_ presence coming from that direction and changed course, running she knew not where. Her cloak, flying out behind her, got caught on something and the bindings pulled against her neck, almost choking her. She undid it and ran on.

Elizabeth was in excellent physical condition but she had never run so far or for so long. She knew she would not be able to continue much longer; the evil presences were getting closer by the moment. She could now hear as well as sense them. Gathering her wits, she forced herself to remember her training.

The words of Elizabeth's master came back to her, _"You cannot outrun a vampire, save your strength."_ Elizabeth stopped running. Before releasing her skirt, she bent down and retrieved the silver dagger she always wore strapped to her calf, reflecting with gratitude that she had never given up the practice. She held the dagger tightly in her right hand. As she turned to face her attackers, she took hold of the silver cross her father insisted she always wear around her neck. With her left hand, she gave it a strong tug so that the chain broke and she could hold it in front of her at arm's length.

Elizabeth's pursuers had slowed down and were approaching her more cautiously. They were now close enough for her to make out the details of their appearances. There were two men dressed in dirty tattered clothing, their hair a mass of knots, and they each displayed large fangs, leaving Elizabeth in no further doubt as to what she faced.

Growling and hissing, the vampires separated, approaching Elizabeth slowly from different angles. She had been expecting this. With her left hand, she used her cross like a shield to keep one of the vampires at bay while she lunged at the other vampire with her dagger. Her aim was true and she had the satisfaction of seeing it fall to the ground screaming, her silver dagger embedded in its heart. But she had misjudged how hard it would be to withdraw her dagger and when the vampire fell, she lost her hold on it. The second vampire was quick to move between her and his fallen comrade; Elizabeth had no hope of retrieving her weapon. All she could do was use her cross to keep the vampire from getting too close—a cross that suddenly seemed very small.

^;;^

The Netherfield gentlemen had ridden out to do some shooting. As dusk fell, they returned to the house. Just after the sun disappeared below the horizon, Darcy froze and his expression became grave. "Something is wrong!"

With no further explanation, he abruptly turned his horse and took off at top speed.

"Darcy, what…?" Bingley quickly took off after him, calling some of his dogs to follow even though Darcy's horse was much faster and he already had a lead. Mr. Hurst judged it best that he return to the house so that he might acquaint the others with the situation and let them know not to wait dinner.

^;;^

Elizabeth was so focused on fending off the vampire that she could not spare any attention for the sound of approaching hoof beats, nor did she think to cry out in an attempt to obtain help. She held the cross in front of her with two shaking hands, blocking the vampire's attempts to swipe at her as it snarled and growled. The creature was so menacing that she could not prevent herself from taking a step backwards. She stepped back again. She tripped. As she felt herself falling, Elizabeth's arms flew out to her sides. She hit the ground. The fiend was on top of her. Its hands were grasping her shoulders. Its fangs were… It was no longer on top of her. There was a scream. In an instant, Elizabeth was back on her feet, unaware of how she had been granted this momentary reprieve. She only knew that the vampire was coming toward her and she had dropped her cross.

The vampire came closer. Without thinking, Elizabeth delivered an unladylike kick to the location where a kick might be calculated to do the most good. With another scream, the creature collapsed in front of her doubled over in pain.

Suddenly, Elizabeth realized the kick should not have worked. Lydia had attempted it once during training and their master's reproach had been severe, _"That is not only a low class form of self defense but it would not work on a vampire! I have taught you the only ways a true vampire can be harmed! If you kicked it like that it would feel nothing and would only grab your foot and put you off balance!"_

Now that Elizabeth had a moment to catch her breath, she realized, to her mortification, that the creature lying at her feet which she had taken for a vampire was actually "Mr. Darcy!"

^;;^

Darcy had fought feral vampires many times and had never lost control like this before.

He had sensed the vampires the moment they began to run down their prey and had lost no time in going after them. They were far enough away that he despaired of arriving in time to save their intended victim but that did not stop him from making every effort to do so. He was, therefore, very much gratified to find upon his arrival that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had managed not only to fend the creatures off but had actually incapacitated of one of them. Seeing that the second creature was upon her, Darcy spared no time in leaping from his horse, grabbing the creature by the shoulders and pulling it off. As he did so, Darcy exposed his fangs and growled, " _Mine_!"

The fiend turned on him but Darcy was ready with a wooden stake that he quickly drove into the creature's heart. He then turned to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who was already back on her feet. It had been Darcy's intention to offer his assistance but he was suddenly aware of how quickly her heart was beating, that her skin was damp with perspiration and that she smelled _delicious_.

Somewhere deep inside of Darcy, a part of him cried out that he was not a monster, that the person in front of him was a human being who he intended to help, but this part of him was nearly drowned out by a deeper instinct. With a low growl, he took a step toward her. He took another and was lost to everything beyond a sudden and acute pain.

Darcy's nature and training allowed him to withstand considerable pain without succumbing. Even so, it was some time before he was able to regain his composure and make a civil reply to Miss Elizabeth Bennet's apologies. Luckily, she seemed to assume her perception had been in error when she thought him a vampire and, although he despised himself for the partial falsehood, Darcy let the matter stand.

Once Darcy had recovered enough to take in his surroundings, he perceived that he and Miss Elizabeth Bennet were in the midst of several corpses in various states of decay. She seemed to have made the same discovery. As she looked at the nearest body, she gasped and exclaimed, "I knew her… from the milliner's shop…she waited on me once…I tripped over her body…how?"

Afraid she would grow weak, Darcy quickly moved to her side. "They must have driven you to their feeding grounds. Come away." And offering her his arm, he led her to a spot upwind of the cadavers. Observing that she shivered, Darcy took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders. The sleeve was covered in gore but no more so than her dress.

"Are you harmed?" he asked as he gently lifted her chin and turned her head from side to side, running his eyes over her neck.

"I do not believe so."

The sound of approaching hoof beats recalled Darcy to the situation at hand. He quickly let go of Miss Elizabeth Bennet's chin and stepped back to a respectable space. Bingley was approaching on his horse but the animal stopped some distance away and could not be persuaded to come closer so that Bingley was obliged to dismount and run the rest of the way on foot. Three of his hunting dogs accompanied him, though they were clearly unhappy about it.

"Darcy! What is the matter?" Before Darcy could reply, Bingley took in the scene before him; an unfortunate change in the breeze brought the full horror of it to his olfactory senses and he promptly embarrassed himself by losing the contents of his stomach. Darcy was quick to reassure his friend that such a reaction was to be expected from one who was not accustomed to such carnage but it was not lost on either of them that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had not reacted in such a way.

While Bingley was recovering, Darcy went to his own horse and removed one of the saddle bags. It contained a mallet and several wooden stakes, which he always carried with him. He explained that the feral vampire Miss Elizabeth Bennet had immobilized would soon recover unless it was staked and that, choosing to err on the side of caution, he needed to stake the victims as well, and then ride to Meryton to notify Colonel Foster of the situation. He asked that Bingley escort Miss Bennet home, to which Bingley replied in a tone of astonishment, " _Unchaperoned_? Darcy, it is after dark and with Miss Bennet in such a state it must not be thought of!"

Before Darcy could reply, Miss Elizabeth Bennet spoke. "Mr. Darcy, I would not wish to inconvenience you any further. I assure you I can make my own way home."

Darcy was surprised but answered evenly, "Miss Bennet, you must allow us the honor of escorting you home. You are, perhaps, unaware of how far you are from Longbourn and we can by no means be sure there are no other feral vampires in the area."

This was enough to secure her agreement. Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Bingley waited at a distance while Darcy took care of the grisly business of staking. The bodies would need to be burned but that Darcy would leave for the Militia. They would be well enough for now; even in a country neighborhood such as this, it was unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to remove the stakes.

As he went about his work, Darcy reflected that it had been a foolish idea asking Bingley to escort her home. He was sure under the circumstances that her parents would forgive the impropriety but Bingley did not have the training to fight a vampire and, the evidence suggested, Miss Elizabeth Bennet was more likely to be capable of protecting Bingley than he of protecting her. Darcy was normally more cautious and he wondered why he was so unlike himself tonight.

Darcy finished his work to find Bingley standing alone. "Where is Miss Bennet?"

Bingley gestured to a nearby stand of evergreens. "She said she needed some privacy. I did not think she should go off alone but it seemed ungentlemanly to stop her if…erm…"

"Yes, well, she is safe enough for now. I would sense it if there were another feral vampire hunting."

"Oh, well, good." They stood awkwardly for a few moments and Bingley added, "I sent the dogs with her. I told them to bark if there was any danger."

"Good." From anyone else the statement would have sounded absurd but Bingley's dogs were remarkably well trained and could follow complex verbal commands.

After another awkward pause, Bingley asked, "Do you think we should check on her?"

"Certainly not! I cannot think she would appreciate it."

"Yes, right, yes."

Bingley shifted from foot to foot. "You do not think it is taking unusually long?"

"I have no way of judging."

"But you are sure it is safe?"

"Yes, Bingley. I am sure it is safe."

"Then do you think I could…er…step into the bushes myself?"

"Yes, well, be quick about it will you?"

Miss Elizabeth Bennet returned before Bingley did. Darcy was afraid of having to explain Bingley's absence but she asked no questions. They both stood without speaking while Darcy wondered with some impatience why this all could not have been taken care of while he was doing the staking.

^;;^

Darcy had not intended for Miss Elizabeth Bennet to ride with him but Bingley's horse balked whenever she came within five yards of it and, upon discovering she had never had so much as a single riding lesson, Darcy realized she could not be left to ride alone even on a horse as well trained as his own. Whether because she was too shaken to protest or from a sincere wish of causing as little inconvenience as possible, Miss Elizabeth Bennet allowed herself to be to be lifted up in front of him and for him to put his arms around her.

Darcy's injury made the arrangement disagreeable but walking was out of the question. He really did need to report the incident to Colonel Foster as soon as possible and he would also need to feed soon. The thought startled Darcy as he realized that, after the events of the evening, his thirst ought to be stronger—especially with a temptation like Miss Elizabeth Bennet at such tantalizingly close proximity. That his thirst was merely bothersome was something he could not account for.

Miss Elizabeth Bennet was quiet and Bingley was obliged to keep his horse at a distance, which was not conducive to conversation, leaving Darcy alone with his thoughts. He had been quite surprised to find the vampire's intended victim to be someone of his acquaintance. The daughters of gentry were usually better protected and Darcy was divided between disapproval of her being out so late alone and admiration of her skill. Although he knew her to have had _some_ training, Miss Elizabeth Bennet had astonished him. There were not many ladies who had the proficiency to take down a feral vampire, nor had Darcy come across many would be victims who managed to remain so composed after their rescue. In spite of a suspicion Darcy had begun to form, he could not help but be impressed.

After a time, she began to cry. Not with the hysterical sobs Darcy had often encountered under such circumstance, but quietly, as if she did not wish to be heard. Darcy did her the favor of pretending not to notice and only whispered a few words of comfort so quietly that she would not hear them on a conscious level. He was convinced that he held her no more tightly than he had been doing, as was necessary to keep her on the horse.


End file.
